The Firelord's Holiday
by Written Parody
Summary: The war may have ended three years ago but the stress of rebuilding a nation has not eased with the years. And so the gaang decide to meet up again and take a well-earned vacation. One that has some peculiar situations… Zutara, Taang, Sukka, Sibling!Toko
1. Author's Note

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**i. Author's Note**

This is kinda illegal isn't it? Posting an author's note as a chapter on . I'm sorry, I just had to make sure everybody read this and I know most people don't read the random drabble at the top and bottom of the chapters. Especially mine because I tend to go on and on forever. I'll make this as short and painless as possible, I promise.

First off: Thanks for being here. You have no idea how much it means to me that you're actually willing to read one of my crappy stories. It amazes me every time I get a fave or a review. Especially for my horrid attempts at not making Zutara seem cliché. I'm going to stop there because I can go on forever with thank you's but I don't want to make this any longer than it has to be.

Second of all, I apologize for the very horrible title. I just did not have the muse to create a better one. I've always sucked with titling things anyway. So if you ever have the need to tell somebody about this (for whatever purpose at all) please tell them not to judge this book by it's title.

Not that it's going to be much of a book, which is the main reason for writing this. I'm in the middle of my year-end exams (schools here work way different to normal ones) and on top of that I still have projects and stuff to complete that the teachers lovingly kept for us until the exams started. Kind of them. Anyway, this story was born in the space of an afternoon and I wrote down its plot as quickly as I could. Typing and posting it is just going to be a way for me to relax, to deal with the stress in the best way possible: Zutara.

The problem with that is it's not going to be longer than seven chapters long. Seven. That's it. That's all I ever seem to manage. I've wanted to write a longer one, one of at least fifteen, but I never have enough plot. So, sadly, this one is going to be just as short. And not very original either. In fact, this fic has got so many references in it that I picked up from other fanfictions and drawings that I'm going to credit them at the bottom of every chapter. I need you to know this, please, as I really, honestly and truly do not wish to steal _anything_, especially not the greatness of those fics. So if you think that I am a horrible person for being unable to think up original situations for my story, please do say so. I know I am, and I wouldn't do it if I didn't need a stress release.

That's why I had to post this. To apologize and to say that this fic is going to be even crappier than my usual mess. Please do not expect too much but, if you need some pointless romance and bad humour, go ahead and read it. I'd love to be able to help you relax, too.

Any form of review, good or bad, will be very much appreciated. And please if you are loyal enough (or whatever else the case is) to read this, don't kill me when I don't update soon. Full plate, remember?

That's all I have to say. Thanks for bearing with me, and I hope that those of you who do read this will enjoy it even a little.

~Written Parody

PS: Oh! And please excuse the random chapter titles. Those of you who have read _Heroine of Darkness _will know that my friends love being mean and challenging me to write stories who's chapter names have a certain theme. This time, instead of every chapter name starting with a "The", every chapter name will be a verb ending on "-ing".

PSS: PLEASE note that I call the parents and families that go along with the gang 'outsiders' for a reason. They're going to be background people. Always there but never important enough for me to address. Just take that into account, I beg you.

**NOTE: This story has been edited since its first publish. **


	2. Meeting

******Disclaimer: I own nothing of Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the fanfictions and fanart mentioned at the end of the chapter. Not mine, but I love em to bits. **

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday**

**I. Meeting**

It is true that time heals most wounds, whether they be wounds inflicted by words or circumstances, or wounds inflicted by war. Under their new Firelord's guidance the Fire Nation was able to start to thrive in itself again and begin to repent for its past mistakes, something their leader was personally familiarised with. Zuko put his heart and soul into his country, happy to give it his all as he always had been. Every mouth that questioned his ability to rule the nation was silenced almost immediately; he was the best thing to happen to that nation in years, and they all knew it.

But pouring his entire being into his country meant that he had little time to meet with his friends. In the three years since the war had ended they had, of course, met with each other on some occasions, sometimes without guards and even other family members. Those times they had been entirely alone had benefited them greatly, for alone they could operate as the family they once had been. Those alone visits had drawn them, if it was possible, even closer together.

But the visits had become even fewer and farther in-between, and, missing them, they had all voiced the plan to get together to have a vacation of sorts away from everything but each other, as it had been before, yet without impeding doom in the near future. The plan had never been really looked at, however, until Ursa, who to Zuko's utter and complete delight was found and returned to the Fire Nation palace, found that her beloved son had not slept a full night in three months and that he had lost a total of five kilograms. She then threw herself into the task of making the idle talk a reality, not letting anything or anyone sway her from her planning.

Every member of the gaang had loved the idea, even though their families would be joining them instead of them being utterly alone as first planned. The parents of the respective gaang members, however, were far more uncertain. Hakoda expressed his fears in countless letters to Ursa that Katara really didn't like Fire Nation people after what happened to her own mother; a dislike that was still evident in his people. The Bei Fong's, too, were worried about the Fire Nation's presence, although their worry was more out of nervousness for themselves. They had, in the same letters that voiced their concerns, also asked if Ursa or Iroh knew of anybody called Sparky as, to their complete astonishment and confusion, Toph had declared that he was her older brother.

All the fears had been quailed, however, and even though neither Iroh nor Ursa had been able to find the mysterious Sparky, that matter was laid to rest too. And although Zuko had had to be literally dragged away from his paperwork, he was a hundred percent happy to be going to visit his old friends. Until he saw that, because her best friend was going to be there with all the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, Mai was coming along too. Or, to be more precise, Mai and her fiancé were coming along too. The Firelord had remained stoic for an entire week after she'd left him for one of her father's friend's sons, but luckily it had happened only two weeks before he saw his friends the last time, and they had helped him through it better than his own uncle and mother could. When the news had come that she became engaged to the man, Zuko had merely politely congratulated Mai's father and left it at that. Although, Iroh remembered as he threw a glance in the woman's direction, the vigorous training Zuko had religiously taken part in every single night since the war had stopped had gone on for much longer the evening the news arrived.

Iroh sighed to himself as his gaze turned to his nephew. Even though his frame was hidden by his armour, he had seen Zuko without a shirt just that morning. Ursa was right; it was painfully obvious that Zuko had lost a lot of weight, even though, because of his nightly training, his muscles had become more pronounced instead of disappearing along with his flesh. Comparing himself to his nephew as they walked towards their holiday destination Iroh felt the burning desire to go on a diet; the contrast was almost alarming.

Ursa's hand squeezed his shoulder once as if she guessed what he was thinking. Her own eyes were tight as she looked at her son. He even walked as though he had the entire world's burdens slapped across his shoulders. His head was held high, of course, but he was too stiff, too ready to accept the next bit of paper, attend the next meeting, save the next farm… Her little boy was being forced to bite off more than he could properly chew, and it pained her. That was why she had made this vacation happen. Every time he came back from spending time with the Avatar and the rest of his friends she had noted Zuko seemed lighter, as if Aang had Airbended something into him. Neither her nor Iroh knew how he acted around the gaang, having never seen it, and so curiosity was a large part of their emotions as it was for the rest of the parents; the rest of the outsiders, in a sense. And they would remain outsiders on this vacation as the gaang had been given strict orders to behave like they would if none of the adults were present.

Finally the crevice that held the Western Air Temple came into view and Zuko seemed to walk straighter, as if sensing the relief his holiday would bring him. In front of them, perched on a rock she had undoubtedly created herself, was Toph. Her hair was still in the bun she had worn all those years ago, except now it was longer and loose pieces were allowed to frame her pretty face. She had grown into a stunningly attractive young lady, although guys did not stare at her unless they had a death wish.

She felt their footsteps and a typical Toph grin flashed across her face, her seafoam green eyes still as sightless as before.

"You're here!" she bellowed at the top of her voice, flinging herself down from the rock and ploughing into Zuko in a tackle hug.

When she was twelve Zuko had still been able to lift her up effortlessly but now it took more strain to pick her up. Not that it ever stopped him from doing it. He could feel her grin into his chest as she snuggled into him a bit.

"Toph why are you shrieking like a banshee?" Sokka's unmistakable voice called.

"Sparky's back!" she called to the Water Tribe man.

He emerged flanked by Toph's parents, who nearly fell over at the sight of the Firelord holding their daughter. Sokka did not seem to find this strange, though, as he grinned and greeted Zuko in a typical Water Tribe handshake. He had grown up, just like the rest, but his looks had not changed much. He was still Sokka in every way possible, except that his voice was deeper.

"Wh…" Mrs Bei Fong's eyes were wide. "Why is _he _allowed to hold you?" she asked, perplexed and slightly hurt as she had never been granted this privilege.

"Duh, Mom," Toph sighed. "'Cause he's my big brother." She paused and grinned. "And he gives great piggyback rides."

"Toph, you're fifteen years old. _Way _too big to be carried," Zuko argued, trying to sound stern.

Toph ignored him and clambered onto his back, promptly wrapping her legs around him and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Yip, yip, Sparky," she said happily.

Zuko rolled his eyes but held her feet as he started walking. They could hear him half-heartedly complaining all the way around the corner as they were all frozen in silent shock.

"She gets the Firelord to…" Toph's father appeared unable to complete the sentence.

"Yip," Sokka replied easily, starting to walk back. "Anybody else who tries to pick her up, save Aang, gets a facefull of rock. And I don't think I need to tell you what Zuko will do to anybody else who tries to get onto his back. It's only for her that he lowers himself like that."

They all followed Sokka to the Western Air Temple where they found, to their surprise, that steps had been carved into the wall allowing easy access to the once isolated temple. They were led into a courtyard that had been turned into a general living and eating area with the place used as a kitchen just next door. Ty Lee, dressed in all her Kyoshi gear and still beaming from ear to ear, greeted them enthusiastically. She explained that the rest of the Warriors and Katara were gathering fruit for dinner but she had been tasked to be the Fire Nation party's guide of sorts; the person who explained everything to them.

"I don't think I need to introduce the Avatar," the happy girl grinned as Aang came into view, smiling.

He had grown up a lot from the kid he once was both physically and emotionally, but there was still an essence of pure child that lay in his grey eyes. He greeted the rest of the Fire Nation party first, formally bowing to each in turn. Then he did the same to Zuko, who bowed back as he had the first day he had been accepted into the gaang, in that very temple. But Iroh noticed that greeting when Zuko Aang was a lot tenser, and there was a hidden emotion on his face. The old general wondered with some surprise if Aang hadn't forgiven his nephew yet. That sounded impossible, but why else…?

Sokka also noticed Aang's awkwardness and the yearning on his face but he grinned at it.

"Aaaw, come on, Zuko. Can't you see the kid's dying here?"

Zuko looked impassively at Aang, who shot him a puppy-dog look. The Firelord sighed, knowing he was defeated.

"Ten seconds," he said sternly, and all awkwardness left Aang as he beamed…

…and then smacked into Zuko almost the exact same way Toph had, except he hugged from the side and he pinned Zuko's arms to his chest, making the Firebender unable to shake him off as he prattled at high speeds about Agni-knows-what. Finally he remembered that he was supposed to be helping gather the fruit and let go of Zuko, much to the older boy's evident relief. Toph and Sokka cracked up laughing when he glided away.

"I still remember your face the first time he did that," Sokka chuckled, holding his sides. "You looked about ready to drown yourself or something."

"He gets more eccentric each time," Zuko muttered. "The last time he at least kept his feet on the ground."

"It's just 'cause Toph's holding out on him," Sokka said wisely, causing the Earthbender to blush. "She's not hugging him so much anymore 'cause her parents are around and watching."

"Hey, Champ?" Toph turned in Zuko's general direction as he addressed her seriously. "Do me a favour and pay more attention to your boyfriend, please. I don't think I can handle him kissing me."

Ty Lee joined the other two in roaring with laughter at Zuko's fake seriousness.

"Aaaw, come on Zuko. What's a little shared saliva between Spirit Brothers?"

Zuko shuddered and Sokka laughed again. Toph, grinning, leaned with her elbow on Zuko's shoulder and then frowned.

"Why're you still taller than me?" she pouted.

"'Cause the rocks in your head weigh you down," Zuko replied with a grin.

Toph was about to reply sharply to this when her head turned and a grin played across her face.

"Here comes Suki. Nobody tell her Zuko's here; I wanna catch her reaction."

"Suki is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors," Ty Lee explained dutifully. "She's also Sokka's long-time girlfriend. They're very happy together," she stated, almost as if she was reminding herself of the fact.

Suki appeared, looking very distracted, and searched the ground hurriedly.

"Sweetie, have you seen that new basket I brought along?" she asked Sokka vaguely.

Zuko, spotting it, picked it up and held it out to her.

"Oh thanks, Zuko," she said, still distracted as she took the basket and started towards the door.

She'd taken five steps before she froze, her abrupt stop making Toph start to snigger. For a second she stood there, and they could all guess the expression on her face and the thoughts in her head: _Wait a second… _She spun around, saw Zuko and let out a squeal. Tossing the basket aside mindlessly she crashed into him in a hug, which he returned with a grin. She fisted his shirt in her hands as she tightened the embrace and then stepped back.

"Why didn't you _tell _me you were here?" she scolded him lightly. "When did he get here?" she demanded of Sokka.

"About three minutes ago," her boyfriend calmed her.

Pacified she turned back to Zuko and smiled.

"It's really good to see you again. Oooh…" Her fingers stroked his hair, which wasn't an inch longer than it had been on the day of the invasion so long ago. "Your hair is gorgeous," she told him, then remembered she was in a rush and hurried off.

"She's never told me my hair is gorgeous before," Sokka said very sadly as he plucked at his own locks.

"That's 'cause she's too busy looking at other parts of your body," Toph said slyly.

Zuko flicked her lightly on the back of the head.

"The older you grow, the sicker your mind gets, little girl," he said, sounding half amused and half disgusted.

There were more footsteps and Katara appeared. At seventeen she was the picture of Water Tribe beauty, but Zuko could still see the fourteen-year-old girl in the gentleness of her actions. And, when she was angry, the fierceness of her eyes. She caught sight of Ursa and smiled to herself, as if the sight of Zuko's mother brought her some private joy. Then her face pulled into a frown as she saw the Firelord himself.

"Oh great, it's Prince Arrogant," she said flatly.

"Katara!" Her father was utterly shocked; he hadn't expected her to be so blunt. Besides, wasn't she friends with Zuko?

"Oh believe me, the disappointment is mutual, peasant," Zuko replied coldly.

Iroh opened his mouth but Katara beat the old general to it.

"Are you trying to 'slum it' now to gain popularity?" Her gaze did not waver from him for a second as they stood, a mere two meters apart.

"I'd never stoop _this _low, even for the respect of my people," Zuko sneered.

"Oh so we're here for your _honour _again, are we?" she taunted.

"No. I'm here to feel some of the _hope _of this place. And to help install _hope _for all the _hopeless_ like a shining _light_. Of _hope_."

Katara burst out laughing and without warning she closed the distance between him and embraced him. His arms wrapped loosely around her waist and both of them closed their eyes for an unknown reason.

"You're still as assholic as always, Zuke," she mumbled lightly into his shoulder.

"As are you, Tara. As are you."

"Hey Katara, come help with the fruit!" Aang called, gliding in.

"Hey!" she protested without letting go of Zuko. "I'm kinda in the middle of saying hello to my best friend here! You know, the one I haven't seen in ages?"

Zuko chuckled softly and Aang grinned sheepishly. Then he brightened and with a call of "Team Avatar group hug!" flung himself at Zuko and Katara. Suki appeared again and linked in with Toph and Sokka around the other three. They all stayed there, grinning and resting on each other, the picture of pure peace.

* * *

**CREDITS: **

"Yip Yip, Sparky"- That line I stole from **Stormbenders **by Fandomme

"Zuke" and "Tara"- I first saw those nicknames used in **Beyond The Rising Sun **by justcallmefaye. I'm not saying she created them, I just know that's where I got my inspiration from.

I think everything else in this chapter is actually origional... Hmm... Better read through it jsut to make sure...


	3. Dancing

**AN: **I wasn't going to upload another chapter this soon (because I'm supposed to be studing for my biology exam, not sneaking to the Internet cafe) but life's not worth it if there are no thrills, right? Thanks a million to all who reviewed, faved and added to the alert's list.

Oh and my flash disk got stolen and it had all my plot ideas for this story on. So if another fic like this appears somewhere... Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**II. Dancing **

The next morning seemed much brighter because they could spend it in leisure. Everybody changed out of their more formal clothes into comfortable, commoner ones and all the Kyoshi warriors went without facepaint too. Katara was just serving breakfast when Toph came in, frowning.

"Hey, Sweetness? Could you take a look at Sparky for me, please? He feels as muscular as before but there's something… different… And it feels… wrong…"

"You _felt _him?" her mother squawked, nearly choking on her fruit.

"Yeah." Toph was too worried to even be sarcastic back to her mother. "I sit on him while he does his push-ups in the mornings. It's kinda a ritual with us."

"You're really worried, aren't you?" Katara frowned. "Then I'll take a look as soon as I can. Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing bad." She paused. "Now how am I going to get him to take his shirt off so I can see?" she murmured to herself.

"Oh I stole his," Toph replied, holding up a red and gold top like the one Zuko had worn with them before. "So now he has to come out shirtless."

"Alright, Toph, where is my shirt?" Zuko's voice sounded.

"It's over here with breakfast," Katara called to him, a bowl ready for him in her hands. His footsteps sounded and she turned towards him. "You'll get the food and the shirt back when I see why Toph is wo-"

She broke off and at the look on her face Suki whirled and then froze too. Both girls stared in horror at what they had not been able to see yesterday because of his armour. His ribs stuck out even under his taunt muscles and they could see with painful clarity how he had no meat on his muscle or bone. They gaped for a couple of seconds and then Katara's lips formed a thin line.

"Right so you need more breakfast," she said, heaping more food onto his bowl.

"What?" Zuko blinked in astonishment. "_Why_?"

"_Why_? Zuko if you turn sideways you'll disappear into the background!" Katara snapped, shoving the overflowing bowl into his hands. "And if you don't finish every bite of that I'll freeze you to the bottom of the fountain!"

Iroh smiled and caught Ursa's eye. This had been a very good idea, after all. Zuko quietly took a seat next to Sokka and began to eat. He was having trouble finishing it all, however, and finally turned to the boy next to him and very quietly offered his ever-hungry friend the rest. Unfortunately Toph heard him.

"Katara! Zuko's trying to get Sokka to eat his food!" she called at once.

Both of them froze in the act of swapping bowls and then flashed sheepish smiles at the glaring Katara before Zuko glumly took his bowl back. The Waterbender came and stood before him and it was painfully clear that she would not leave until she had seen Zuko finish. He meekly began eating again.

"Cut him some slack," Sokka said as he watched Zuko force the food down. "It looks like he hasn't eaten in a while."

Katara sighed but took the bowl from a grateful Zuko who frowned at Sokka when she walked away.

"I'm not _that _thin," he said, and Suki scoffed under her breath.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed readily, too full to care too much. "Maybe you just look it next to them."

Both girls froze and Aang's eyes widened.

"Did you just call us _fat_?" Katara's eyes were hard ice.

"Ooooh now he's gonna get it…" Toph sniggered as Sokka began to splutter and Katara and Suki advanced on him.

"Hey, Zuko," Aang said hurriedly. "Wanna go see the… new… stuff… outside?"

"Sounds good," Zuko hastily agreed and both of them escaped, feeling very sorry for Sokka.

The sun had risen properly when the two returned to the rest of the group. Sokka had been properly trounced by his sister and girlfriend, but was apparently forgiven. Aang beamed happily at this and then waved a notice around in the air.

"There's gonna be a dance in the forest tonight," he said excitedly. "The travelling nomads we know are playing and anybody can just come and dance along. Wanna go?" he added to Toph, rather shyly.

"Sure, Twinkles," she smiled back. "What about you two?" She looked in Suki's general direction.

"I want to go," she said, looking at Sokka.

"Sure," he smiled, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "Dancing with you is always fun, babe."

"Until you step on my toes." Sokka deflated a bit at that, but hid his embarrassment by turning to Zuko.

"How about it? Care to grace us commoners with your presence?"

Zuko shrugged. "Why not?"

Sokka frowned. "But who are you going to take?"

Zuko made a big show of thinking and then suddenly clicked his fingers.

"I know! Katara! Why don't _you _go with me?"

"Me?" Katara put her hand to her chest. "Oh wow… I'm so _surprised _at your offer…" She dropped her hand and turned to her brother. "'Who are you going to take?' You _seriously _still have to ask that? Every time the four of you go out I _always _get stuck going with Zuko. No offence," she added.

"None taken," he replied calmly.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay? I forgot you two always pair up."

"So." Zuko turned to the Waterbender. "Another fake date tonight."

"If it makes you feel any better, you're the best fake date I've ever had," she smiled at him teasingly. "At least you don't crush my feet like _somebody_."

Sokka opened his mouth to retort but Suki suddenly let out an exclamation of joy.

"Zuko! You can help me refresh my dance moves, can't you? Pleeeeeease?"

He smiled at her and gave her a formal bow, which she returned. Then they lightly took each other's hands and Zuko reminded her of the steps, starting slow. She wasn't too bad, having been taught by him before and soon they got into the rhythm of the imaginary music.

"How come you know how to dance anyway? I thought the Fire Nation forbid it?"

"They did," Zuko replied, spinning her. "My mother and uncle just like teaching illegal things."

Iroh chortled to himself at that and then, to everybody's amazement, took out a horn and began to play. Suki laughed at this and she and Zuko settled into the music, still doing rather basic steps. Then Toph came up and bowed to Zuko, who, with a nod from Suki, bowed back and took her hands instead. Their dancing was much more sophisticated, and they both whirled around the courtyard with grace and speed that made the Kyoshi girls oooh. Even though Toph was highly capable in the steps, though, Zuko never once even attempted to lift her off the ground, something the Earthbender was very grateful for. Their precision wavered as the dance started coming to a close and by the time Iroh stopped playing the two were laughing and rather tangled. The Firelord carefully wound some of Toph's hair that had come loose back into its hold before he let Aang take over from him.

Iroh, pleased they wanted more, began with another song with almost the same beat as the previous one. Both Aang and Sokka were both obviously less talented than their girlfriends (Sokka much more so than Aang) but neither girl seemed to mind; Suki didn't even moan when Sokka stood on her foot. Toph, feeling that Zuko wasn't dancing, frowned then grinned mischievously.

"Hey, Sparky! Don't be rude; Katara hasn't had a chance to dance with you yet!"

Zuko raised his eyebrow but then turned to Katara and made a completely over-the-top bow that made the watching people laugh.

"Dear lady." He was using his Firelord form of speaking. "May I have this dance?"

Katara gave him a theatrical bow in return.

"My lord, I cannot begin to match your grace. Tonight, when there's nobody sober around to see, perhaps."

"Oh, but I insist," Zuko said, making another ridiculous bow that made her giggle.

"Then how can I decline?"

She bowed again and then let Zuko take her right and gently yank her into the open space. She placed her one hand on his shoulder and her other in his and felt his palm on her waist. She grinned as she remembered Sokka's face the first time they had danced together and his hand had gone there. They paused for a moment while Zuko found the beat to the music and then they were moving.

Although, like her brother, Katara had never gotten any dance lessons until very recently, she was a Waterbender and so the moves were almost second nature to her. But the nervousness of the eyes made her tense up, and she messed up a few times.

"Relax," Zuko's voice said calmly in her ear. "It's just like bending. You feel the way the water flows, and you follow it. You feel the way I flow, and you follow me. I've seen you before; you're a natural at this."

She blocked out the watching eyes and instead focused on him, on the way he was moving. His form was solid before her, weaving in perfect harmony to the music. She felt him shift one way and her body reacted automatically, following him without her needing to think of the steps. She smiled at this and found that, now that she was not focused on the steps, the dance was much more enjoyable. Zuko had been right; dancing and bending were very much the same. That was why she and Aang had been able to do a mock-fight and pass it off as a proper dance at their renegade party.

But Zuko did not move like Aang, she thought as they whirled effortlessly. She had thought, before they danced the first time ever, that he would not be able to do it. His bending was always so strong and powerful and controlled and dancing was… not all of that. But she had been proven wrong. Zuko was, she had to admit honestly to herself, an amazing dancer. She could imagine what kind of moves she could do with him… If their training together was any indication, jaws would drop and remain hanging.

The song ended and she and Zuko made their way to the sidelines. Iroh, however, winked at the two couples and then began playing a slower, haunting song. Happily the girls took hold of their guys again, this time moving much closer and just swaying in time to the music, true common-people style. For a moment Zuko and Katara watched with the rest, then she gave him a sideways glance and saw him raise his eyebrow at her in a casual "So?" kind of way.

"Eh, why not?" she shrugged and they made their way back out to the furthest corner of the courtyard unnoticed by anybody.

The song was halfway done before Ty Lee looked over to where the Firelord had been and found it empty.

"Hey, where did Zuko and Katara go?" She was puzzled.

Toph, hearing her question, cleared her throat and pointed to where she felt Zuko's footsteps. Everybody looked to find Zuko and Katara swaying to the song in their own little corner. Katara had her hands indifferently on Zuko's shoulders and their bodies were a good distance apart as they revolved and spoke. Zuko said something that made Katara hit him on the arm. Then, still grinning at what he had said, her hands slipped from his shoulders and clasped together behind his neck as she moved in closer and rested her head on his shoulder. They danced that way for the rest of the song.

Toph and Aang were the first to return to the fire in the common courtyard later that night. They both said that the dance had been wonderful, with a great atmosphere and wonderful music.

"They didn't even play 'Secret Tunnel' this time," Aang said in relief, making Toph's face furrow in confusion.

"Sokka and Suki went to try and find some type of flower Suki read about and Zuko is taking Katara to the hill just beyond here to see the stars. Or not?" he added in confusion as the two appeared.

"Yeah… uh… The hill was already occupied when we got there," Zuko said.

"Aang did Sokka eat a lot tonight?" Katara asked. When the Avatar nodded, her eyebrows rose. "Well it sure looked like he was still hungry," she muttered to Zuko.

"The way he was eating Suki's face you'd think he was ravenous," Zuko agreed, grinning.

"By now he's probably moved on to her neck. And other places," Katara pulled a slight face. "And he accuses guys of wanting to ravish _me_, the hypocrite."

Toph and Aang sniggered at this while Zuko and Katara took a seat in front of the fire. Then the younger couple's sniggers turned to low talking and after a few moments Aang, looking curiously red, told them that him and Toph were going to go and find that flower, as it actually sounded quite interesting. The two left and Zuko and Katara sat in silence and stared at the fire, a little awkward.

"Well. This is fun," Zuko murmured, making Katara giggle.

"Why is it that _every time _we end up sitting around the fire like two lone sabretooth-mooselions?" she grumbled.

"Because we're sadly single," Zuko replied. He paused, apparently thinking. "You turned seventeen a few months back… Shouldn't you be engaged by now?"

"Zuko!" she reproached, smacking him. But the blow was not hard. He was, after all, her best friend. If her father and grandmother hadn't been within hearing distance she would not have minded him asking at all. "If you _must _know, none of the guys are good enough," she sniffed, and Zuko rolled his eyes. "What about you? Don't you have to produce and heir or something? Why aren't _you _engaged?"

He looked at her with his eyebrow raised and she flushed, realizing her mistake. She could practically feel Mai's eyes boring into her flesh.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." There was silence for a while. "What did we do before to pass this time?"

"Well… The last time we sat and watched the fire like we are now, talking about mindless things. Before those times you and Aang were still together so it was Toph and I who were sitting here while you and the Avatar made out in dark corners"- Katara flushed horribly-"and we never did much save roll around and punch each other. And before _that _you still hated my guts and so you'd sit and glare at me while Aang tried in vain to get your attention."

"Glaring sounds good," she said, and narrowed her eyes at him.

A moment passed where Katara just sat and glared, trying to remember how she could have ever really hated the man who sat next to her. He turned, saw her expression and snorted.

"You look constipated."

She cracked up laughing, but tried to swallow it and look mad instead.

"I should totally kick your butt for that. That's what I would have done before, right?"

"Yeah I think I'm the reason your waterwhips were so perfect by the final battle," he muttered. "But I wouldn't suggest fighting me now."

"Oh? Why not?" she challenged. He pointed to the sky and disappointment filled her as she saw the moon was nearly all gone. "Oh. New moon. Fine, you win this time. But when it's full…!"

"When it's full I'm not stupid enough to incite you willingly," Zuko replied calmly, stretching out. "I still haven't forgotten the Spirit Oasis."

"You were bruised for weeks, admit it," she said cheerfully and he grimaced.

She unconsciously shifted closer to him and stretched out too and for a while they were quiet, each with their own thoughts.

"You battered me up too, though," Katara said suddenly. "If that makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't," he said, and his voice was cold.

She looked at him to find his jaw was locked.

"Hey." She playfully tugged at his hair. "Forgiven and forgotten, remember? I made sure you paid for your transgression thoroughly," she added lightly.

He rolled his eyes, relaxing again. "Yeah, I remember. You were ruthless." She grinned at him and suddenly his face mirrored her expression. "It's kinda ironic. Back then you didn't want to feed me anything because you didn't think I deserved it. And now you're stuffing me like you're preparing me for dinner."

She laughed. "It's funny how relationships change," she mused. "If you'd told me when you first joined us that we'd be such good friends I would have thought you really were clinically insane."

"And you never thought you and Toph would trade places on nights like these while you had your tongue down Aang's throat, now did you?" he taunted.

She smacked him again, putting more force into it now.

"Watch it," she warned. "I have very good ammo to use against you in that regard!"

Zuko winced, muttered "True" and wisely shut his mouth, even though he knew Katara would never stoop that low. She suddenly giggled.

"You think they'll admit to what they were doing, or come up with some story?" she asked Zuko, grinning.

"Story, definitely. 'Our clothes rumpled? That's a funny story, actually! We were innocently walking along when we heard this funny noise!'"

"'Obviously we had to investigate'," Katara played along with him. "'And so we took off after it, rushing through bush and stuff which is how we got leaves in our hair.'"

"'We were just starting to despair we'd never catch whatever it was when we saw it, high in the trees! Then it was suddenly on us!'"

"'Suki and I fought it off, of course, but it did get our clothes rather rumpled. And mysteriously undone in some places.'" Katara was giggling now.

"'Really guys? What was it?' 'It was a hog-monkey, can you believe it!'" Zuko waved his arms around in his fake surprise and excitement.

"'A hog-monkey?'" Katara gasped. "'Wow! There must be a whole heard of them here because, and you'll never believe this, Toph and I found one too! That's why we're so bedraggled and whatever as well.'"

The two sniggered slightly, imagining the four actually trying to sell that lie. Then Zuko reached into his pocket and pulled out some small, squishy fruits he had taken home from the dance. Katara snapped two sticks lying in the tinder pile and handed one to him as he handed her a fruit. They speared the fruits and then held them over the fire to roast.

"Give me a bite of yours," Katara begged him after she'd finished.

"You have your own!"

"Yeah but you, Mr Firebender, can roast yours just right. Come on," she wheedled. When he didn't give in she pouted, then smirked slyly. "Oh wow, look!"

Zuko, confused, looked to where she pointed on the wall and, quick as she could, Katara stole his fruit off the end of his stick, grinning triumphantly.

"I don't-" Zuko looked down at his stick. "Very funny, Katara. Real mature," he muttered as she laughed.

"What's she up to now?" Toph asked as her and Aang entered the firelight, both looking distinctly flushed and a little rumpled.

"Stealing my food," Zuko replied, spearing another fruit.

"She used to do that to me _all the time_," Sokka said, sounding scandalised as he towed Suki into sight too.

Katara tried to keep down her laughter; Suki and Sokka looked far worse for wear than Aang and Toph.

"Did you find that flower?" she asked innocently, feeling rather than seeing Zuko smirk beside her.

"No… But you'll never guess what!" Sokka's eye lit up. "We found something way cooler, which is why we took so long and look so rumpled!"

Katara and Zuko gave each other sideways looks of disbelief. There was no way…

"Really?" Aang looked interested. "What happened?"

"Suki and I were looking for the flower, right, when suddenly we heard this weird noise!" Katara and Zuko both snorted with laughter and hid it in coughs. "So obviously we followed it. We raced it through the bushes, which is why we look like this." The Waterbender and Firelord didn't dare look at each other. "It moved so fast for a second we thought we'd lost it but then the idiotic thing jumped us!" Katara squeezed her eyes shut and willed her laughter to stay down. "We fought it off"- Sokka punched the air energetically to illustrate-"and as it ran away we got a good look. You two will _never _guess what it was!"

_There is no way… _Katara thought to herself. _There is no way in this universe he could possibly say… _

"It was a hog-monkey!"

That was the final straw for both Katara and Zuko who both burst into laughter, almost falling against each other as the mirth shook their bodies. The four gaang members stared at them in shock and this only caused the two to laugh harder, all but rolling in the dirt at the irony and hilarity of it all.

"Zuko… is _laughing_…" Sokka choked out, his eyes bugging. "Is the world going to end?"

This only caused them to laugh even harder.

* * *

**AN number two: **Sorry if Zuko and Katara interacted a bit weirdly... I'm basing their "best friends" actions on how me and my best guy friend act around each other. And we're both insane XD

**CREDITS: **

The Toph sitting on Zuko while he does push-ups, the word 'hog-monkey' and various other things that I know are there but can't remember right now are referenced from **Stormbenders **by Fandomme. 

The whole dancing thing is very, very much inspired by **Dancing in the Dark **by DamageCtrl and somewhat by a certain scene in **Beyond the Rising Sun **by justcallmefaye. 

**Beyond the Rising Sun **is also where I first got the idea from to make Katara and Zuko best friends. At first, anyway :P

I don't think I've missed any other story... If you pick something up please, _please _let me know!

Thanks for reading!


	4. Bending

AN: See? I'm a good author. I'm updating. I felt so happy after those nice reviews that I had to update. That and I've proof-read through this chapter so many times I just want to get it out of my hair... There will still be many mistakes in it, and the bending scenes are CRAPPY, but I tried my best on this one. My best just isn't that good... More waffle from me at the bottom.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the fanfictions mentioned at the bottom. None. Not mine.

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**III. Bending **

The days passed calmly with the 'outsiders' learning to fit in with the gaang's behaviour and routine. They got used to the little fights that broke out amongst the group and learned that, no matter how grave it looked, the people involved never stayed mad at each other for long. They learned who could do what to whom, although watching the Firelord humbly carry a fifteen-year-old girl around never ceased to amaze them. They also learned that when Katara was angry the best thing to do was creep into a corner and hope she didn't decide to take it out on you.

"Who ticked her off this time?" Toph muttered, feeling Katara stomp around the kitchen area, seething.

"Who knows," Sokka replied. "But whoever it was really got her riled up this time."

"Why are you all looking as though there's a batch of blasting jelly around rigged to explode?" Zuko asked, joining the little huddle the rest of the gaang had made. Then he saw Katara. "Oh… I see…"

"Somebody's gotta do something to help her calm down," Aang muttered, watching her almost break a bowl as she slammed it down too hard.

"Hmmm… Clear the courtyard," Zuko told them, suddenly straightening up and walking towards Katara.

"Why? And _what _are you doing?"

"Helping Katara calm down. The usual way," he answered Sokka's question as he opened his mouth to ask it.

Toph grinned. "Sweet!"

"Hey, Katara!" Zuko called, still keeping a safe distance away from her as everybody watched him; the gaang in apprehension, the 'outsiders' in confusion.

"What do you want, Zuko?" Katara snapped at him, her eyes frosty as she turned.

"I want you to stop being so moody," he replied, not flinching as her expression turned dangerous. "You're scaring your brother."

"Oh I'm sorry," she said in a mock-caring voice. "Here, I'll make up for it by giving you a shower."

She bent a stream of washing-up water at him but he beat it out of the air almost carelessly, watching her eyes narrow as she realized that the sun was still climbing and thus he was more powerful.

"No thanks," he answered her calmly. "I think I'll wait to take a shower until afterwards."

Realization glinted in the ice-blue eyes, making them thaw a little. Hakoda was about to ask what was going on, and after _what, _precisely, was Zuko going to take a shower, when Katara, who had been utterly still for the past few minutes, suddenly lunged forwards. The washing water arched in a wave at her commands and as she lifted it, Zuko sunk into a crouch everybody knew; he was getting ready to fight.

Katara's water swept towards him and he sent quick jets of fire at it, breaking it apart and causing him to only get a little damp. But as he had been doing that Katara had taken a running leap at him, bending some of her fallen water into a whip. He fended it off and then sent an arc of fire her way, which forced her to fall back a little as she dodged it.

They stood now on opposite ends of the courtyard with the open space invitingly between them. Never breaking eye contact for even a second they began to prepare themselves for a longer battle. Katara took off her overcoat, leaving her in a typical Water Tribe dress, giving herself more freedom to move. While she did that Zuko removed his shirt so that his body would have better ventilation and could therefore stand the heat of his bending better. Katara's force-feeding had had its desired effect; he was now no longer thin but built into his muscles, making the girls present oogle quite a bit.

Without warning the two leapt at each other again, fire and water streaming. They met at the middle, ferociously clashing, each doing his or her best to get to the other. Steam, made from the times Zuko's fire heated Katara's water, started filling the little courtyard, clinging to fighters and bystanders alike.

"Don't worry," Toph told the more nervous of the outsiders, Hakoda being one of them. "They do this _all _the time. More so when Katara still hated him, but recently too. She just needs a way to release her anger and Zuko is her biggest challenge, her match in a battle."

"She could find another way," Aang muttered, frowning as he watched the two battle.

"Oh live a little, Twinkles!" Toph was exasperated. "They're having _fun_. So stop being the Avatar for a minute or two and just let them."

"Aang doesn't like them fighting much," Sokka said, pointing out the obvious. "We used to think it was just 'cause Katara was _his_ but that theory now has no grounds."

"Why would Aang mind them fighting because Katara and him were together?" Hakoda frowned. "_He_ doesn't fight her, and I doubt Zuko would actually hurt her… Right?"

"He won't," Suki soothed him. "He never has. It's just… When they bend like this, they loose track of everything except the battle. They think only of how to get the other one down, not about how they do that. Their bodies react instinctively and so they often… wind up in… awkward positions…" She looked to the battle and grimaced slightly. "Like that one."

Zuko was backed right up against the wall, held there by Katara who was lifted up and had her knees on either side of his stomach. He had her wrists firmly in his hands and was holding them against the wall as far as his arms would stretch, meaning their chests were touching. Both were sweating, panting and still focused solely on their opponent, their faces mere inches apart. Hakoda and Sokka let out twin strangled noises.

Suddenly Zuko grinned. "I'd duck if I were you," he told her.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion, and then widened again as realization struck. She flung her head away from his as he breathed fire, and in her distraction he managed to break free from the wall, twisting her around as he did. With a growl she flung water at him but he threw himself to the floor, avoiding it, and then flipped himself up gracefully to land a few meters away from her on his haunches. He was silently laughing at her expression and his eyes burned like the fire he was bending. Ursa looked at her son and knew she had never seen him so alive; he looked so powerful and free he seemed to be one with the fire. Even though she had only been around to see his progress in Firebending over the last few years even she had seen the tremendous, incredible improvement. And as she looked at him then, grinning at Katara with muscles tensed to continue their little battle and eyes burning with his hidden power, she knew that there was absolutely no doubt about it; he _was _the Firelord.

Zuko curled his middle and index finger at Katara, arrogantly calling her forward. Her face set and she lunged at him, ready for his rebuff and forcing him backwards. The two started fighting up the stairs, heading for the surface. Toph immediately followed them.

"Toph!"

"There's no way I'm missing this!" she yelled back and, after a moment, everybody followed her.

Outside Zuko and Katara were still locked together, both relentless in their quest to win. Zuko sliced through Katara's coming ice plates easily, but his attention shifted as a piece of one nearly hit a nest in one of the trees. He frowned.

"Don't hit the nesting toucan-puffins!" he yelled at Katara.

"Scared of them?" she shot back.

"Look, I learned the hard way what protective mother birds can do! Just don't hit them!"

Rolling her eyes she charged him again, only to be forced backwards as he did his beloved scissor-kick. Her answering Waterwhip caught his ankle and flipped him into the air. He cut it, landing cat-like on the ground. But before he could attack her she was there again, flinging ice at his hands in order to immobilize him. It would only work for a moment before he melted the restraints, but that moment would be all she needed. She rose her arms, summoning the water as she managed to coat both hands…

…and then she stopped, suddenly realizing the position she had frozen Zuko in. His hands were both coated in ice, twisted back on either side of him while his back was securely up against a tree. She had tied him to a tree.

She burst out laughing, the water trailing away as Zuko realized too how he was situated. He muttered something that sounded like "And it's right underneath the nesting toucan-puffins, too…"

"Well, now isn't this ironic," Katara grinned, placing her hand on her hip as he scowled at her. "This is just _priceless_."

"Alright, alright!" Aang yelled. "Katara's happy again, so the battle can stop now."

Zuko melted his ice bindings but heeded Aang's words, scowling slightly at the still-grinning Waterbender. Without warning she suddenly leaped forwards again and caught his wrists in her hands.

"I'll save you from the toucan-puffins," she said in a husky voice.

"Enough!" Aang said again as Zuko opened his mouth to respond, and this time there was an Avatar undertone to his command.

"Does anybody else know what she was talking about?" Sokka asked, his expression confused.

Nobody but Iroh did, and the general, with a quiet smile to himself, refused to tell.

The sounds of slight explosions brought everybody up to the surface again later that afternoon. They found Toph, Sokka and Suki already there, lounging on the grass as Aang and Katara circled each other.

"Aang discovered that opposite elements working together cause greater damage," Toph explained to the newcomers, not taking her hands off the ground as she listened to the two bend. "When it was decided that Katara and Zuko were going to go after Azula in the final battle, the two took that knowledge and practiced merging their elements. Obviously nothing much came of it because there was so little time, but over the years they developed that training into something that's really, really powerful. Now Aang and Katara are trying it together."

"And failing quite miserably," Sokka added, watching the two trying to create what they were supposed to.

"How are the danger levels?" Zuko crouched by Toph, his eyes now intent on the two figures.

"Pretty high," she said. "But they've been worse before and they've both survived… Just stand by in case."

The Firelord silently scrutinised the revolving pair, his gold eyes locked for any signs of trouble. The fire and water lunged dangerously between the Avatar and the Waterbender, getting rougher and rougher as the number of failed tries grew. Suddenly the fire started to overpower the water, which was careering out of control, but Aang would not notice the danger in time to stop it. Zuko was on his feet in an instant and he sent a flurry of fireballs at Aang's stream of flame, breaking it and pulling Katara out of danger. Both turned to him, Aang scowling rather heavily.

"What was that for?" Katara reproached.

"You were about to get fried," Sokka replied grimly from the sidelines. "He just saved both of you."

"Katara's water is too out of control," Zuko told them.

Her face turned black. "How dare yo-"

"Because you're not giving her a steady rhythm, Aang," he went on as though Katara hadn't spoken. "The fire is the power and the water is the control. If you make the control have to set the pace then it's going to get more than just a little unmanageable."

Aang's shoulders slumped but then his face brightened again.

"Could you do it then? Please? Toph and I will _both _feel the rhythm, so next time I'll be double prepared."

Zuko looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Start again," he told Katara, taking Aang's spot as the Avatar retreated.

Katara obediently raised her arms, and a wave of water flew from the small stream into a wave above her head. She began to bend it in the formation she had been, but the water again began to form out of control, wild. Quick as a flash Zuko was behind her, stopping her elbow from coming down with one of his hands. She twitched in surprise but relaxed as he spoke into her ear, giving her directions. The crowd watched in some form of rapt surprise as Katara closed her eyes and seemed to sink into Zuko's words. The water started to flow properly, a beautiful glistening mass as her hands wove around it expertly.

Sokka's eyes narrowed as Zuko's hands were suddenly on Katara's shoulders, but Suki shot him a warning glare and he said nothing. Zuko turned Katara around so she was facing him, her eyes still closed. Muttering something to her he took a tiny step backwards. At exactly the same time, both moved their right legs inwards so that they touched and crossed in-between their bodies. They took a step sideways and did the same with their left legs, beginning to circle in that tight-knit, crossed formation. If both of them hadn't been fully focused somebody might have pointed out that the way their legs were touching was almost as bad as their earlier bending position.

They began to circle faster, their right hands coming up and crossing at the wrist. It was, in a sense, like dancing, but there was no music to keep them in time, only his feet setting the rhythm for her. Katara suddenly bent water up in a stream but left it trailing behind her as the two continued to circle.

"Why are they doing that?" Ty Lee whispered.

"To make sure they're in the same pace," Toph replied quietly. "They need to be perfectly in time for this. It's as dangerous as it is powerful. One beat missed by either of them and…"

"Surely if one misses the other can just stop their side of the bending?" Kanna said, watching her granddaughter.

"It's not that simple," Aang murmured. "By doing this the fire and water… Well, you'll see in a moment what I mean for yourselves."

"I'm no bender but wouldn't they be able to find the rhythm better if they were _both _bending, instead of just Katara?" one of the Kyoshi warriors spoke up.

"It would be easier," Suki agreed. "But bending fire that close to somebody is a risk Zuko will never take." She added very quietly, "Especially bending fire so close to a person's face."

"Here it comes!" Toph called, her hands firmly planted on the ground again.

As they watched Zuko and Katara's circle became looser, and their arms stretched out while still touching at the wrists. Then, suddenly and without any warning to the watchers, the two spun away from each other, each bringing their arm over their head to create an arc of their element. They began to perform bending moves, still a careful distance away from each other. They both had their eyes closed now, watching something only they and, apparently, Toph could see. Every move they made mirrored each other's perfectly, creating a symmetrical picture of fire and water.

"That's not _that _dangerous," Mai's bored voice scorned. "I thought you said we'd see why there's this big fuss for ourselves."

"You will," Suki replied calmly. "In a few moments, you will." She seemed excited about the prospect.

"Here we go." Toph's voice was also excited, and she buried her fingers into the ground.

Zuko and Katara spun in towards each other again, each keeping their elements in streams a safe distance away. They began to circle again, this time about five feet apart. As they turned they performed bending moves and with no warning they brought fire and water towards each other in precise unison. For a heart-stopping second it looked as if they would burn and drown at the same moment, but suddenly the fire and water were both taking forms again, moulded by their bender's arms. And then they all understood. The danger, the power and even the excitement the gaang members had of seeing it again was made crystal clear before them.

The fire and water streams were circling each other, too. They wrapped and curled around each other as though they were the same and one could not destroy the other. They swirled and danced and flickered, forming almost the exact same pattern as the Koi fish. Yin and Yang. When Zuko straightened, Katara crouched. When she pushed out, he drew in. When he gave more power, she weakened her bending.

"They're in perfect, perfect balance," Suki whispered, her eyes round with awe.

The two continued to circle each other in the endless balance of nature, all the while keeping their formation of fire and water going. The bystanders could not describe the beauty of the swirling elements in any words or coherent thoughts. It was beyond that, something that filled their hearts and stunned their eyes and made them crave to never stop watching it. But behind the almighty beauty they could see the disaster waiting to happen. Their elements were so wound together that if one of them missed even a single beat both would be in grave danger.

"Here it comes," Toph said again.

The true power of their creation was shown. Out of their criss-crossing circle flashed a sudden bolt of lighting, fierce and powerful. They could all only imagine what the two benders could do with that sort of lighting at their command… Zuko and Katara would be quite close to unstoppable. But the two did not manipulate the lighting as they were only demonstrating, and their turning gradually slowed too. The Yin Yang of fire and water began to disappear until all that was left was quiet stream of each element and then nothing at all as the two benders stopped. They ended with their wrists crossed again, Katara's right leg stretched out between Zuko's, their noses touching as their laboured breathing shook their bodies. Slowly they opened their eyes and gold met blue as leftover water fell down on them in the form of rain. Both pairs of eyes reflected the powerful triumph and plain _rightness _the bending had filled them with.

AN: I tried my hardest to take out the 'Waterbending Scroll' parody, but the toucan-puffins just would not leave. Sorry. And, once again, I appologise for my crappy bending. I just can't write fighting, it seems. OKay so next chapter is called "Kissing". Oooh doesn't that make you want to read? The quicker people give me reviews, the quicker I update. Even if it's just one sentence telling me your favourite line or scene. Please, people, I'm trying to get better at this! Every little thing helps!

* * *

**Credits **

So the whole Zuko and Katara bending lightning was totally, shamefully stripped from **Stormbenders **by Fandomme. That idea totally, 100 percent belongs to her. I just adapted it. Very little, and not very well. I hope I described the formation well enough... Meh probably not... I wish I could draw...

More dancing references from **Dancing in the Dark **by DamageCtrl.

I THINK that's all... If you pick up on anything else please tell me. Sometimes I miss which ideas aren't actually mine... It's a very, very bad habit. Thanks for reading!


	5. Kissing

**AN: **I'm back! Not much to say about this one, except to apologise for the abruptness. I was just so sick and tired of Zuko and Katara being in denial all the time. So, yes, this is the official "Zutara" chapter. Hope you guys enjoy! Next chapter, with major plot twist, is going to be up as soon as I get 3 reviews for this chapter. And when I say major plot twist, I mean it.

Oh! And more apologies for the bad bending scenes. Luckily there aren't that many in this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**IV. Kissing **

"Oh, Zuko!"

The Firelord froze at the wheedling tone in his little sister's voice.

"Yes, Toph?" His voice was guarded.

"There's no need to look that scared," Katara grinned at him. "It's just a little favour we have to ask."

"We're _really _sick of bathing in cold water," Suki said, sounding pleading. "Won't you heat the water for us, please?"

"We've created a water system where the water runs from the bath around the outside of the bathroom and back in where it cascades down a homemade waterfall. It helps us wash our hair better." Toph was smiling at him beseechingly.

"All you have to do is heat your hands and keep them in the water as it flows back into the bathroom again. Won't you do that for us?" Katara's smile was girlie and innocent.

"Well…Uh…"

"Thanks, Sparky, you're the best!" Toph cried, clutching his arm and towing him towards the bathroom while the other two girls smirked and followed.

"Why did you suddenly think about this tonight?" he sighed, more curious than grumbling.

"'Cause we're going out tonight, remember? The first time since weeks and weeks ago when we went to that dance."

"It wasn't that long ago," Zuko corrected, but he sat down next to the steady stream of water anyway.

The girls entered the bathroom and he heated his left hand, sticking it in the water and feeling the liquid warm as well. There were muffled calls of delight and thanks from the girls as they entered the water and Zuko shook his head, amused. But his amusement faded as the time wore on. How long could it _possibly _take three women to bath? He had thought the waterfall made washing their hair easier, so shouldn't they take less time then? It was getting rather uncomfortable keeping up that amount of heat for so long. Eventually he stuck both his hands in the water, trying to even out the strain.

"More heat please!" Came the call from inside.

Rolling his eyes he complied, imagining the looks on his council member's faces if they saw their Firelord sitting outside a woman's bathroom with his hands in their water. By the time the three emerged, he was starting to wish he couldn't Firebend. His rear end was numb, his hands resembled prunes and he found to his extreme distaste that he was sweating. The girls' thanks made him feel less sour, and so he didn't complain but instead lowered his body temperature, thinking it would right itself.

But even by sunset, when the gaang made its way towards the bar that was holding the party, he was still hotter than he should be. Katara saw his frown and the sheen of sweat and stopped in her tracks.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, scrutinising his face. "You look kinda… flushed."

"I'm fine," he told her, pulling her to a walk again. "I just got a little hot bending your water for so long."

"Zuko, you should have _said _something." Katara looked guilty and worried at the same time as she felt his forehead. "Maybe we shouldn't go…"

"You're the one who suggested coming in the first place," he told her firmly. "And I as your escort, no matter how fake the date may be, cannot leave you to go alone. Uncle will disown me."

Katara rolled her eyes at his choice of words but didn't argue again. And then they reached the party and she forgot all about Zuko maybe being sick. The music was electrifying and the crowd was much denser than the time before, raising the mood to a fever pitch. She danced all night, mostly with Zuko and Aang but once or twice with people she didn't know. She saw Sokka down his seventh drink but didn't have the heart to scold him about it until afterwards, when they all realized he, Suki and Toph were too drunk to walk home.

Toph, slurring slightly, went to the manager and asked him for some rooms. He nodded knowingly and led them up some stairs, happily accepting Toph's forward payment of the night's stay. Toph and Aang were shown their room first and Sokka yelled at them that they weren't allowed to have babies before him and Suki, making Katara and Zuko faceplam themselves, Suki giggle endlessly and Aang blush beetroot red.

Katara and Zuko helped Suki and Sokka into their room, both slightly worried about what they would do in their intoxicated state, especially after Sokka's earlier comment. But when Sokka fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed they left, pacified and grinning slightly. Their grins faded when the manager handed them a single key before heading back downstairs to see if there were any more lodgers.

"Oh… We're… Uh… sharing a room…"

"He probably thought we were…" Katara groaned. "We really have to make others realize our dates are phoney," she grumbled, surveying the small room that held one double bed and no other furniture.

"At least there's a sleeping mat," Zuko muttered, spying said object on the floor.

He moved towards it but suddenly, bafflingly, stumbled. Katara frowned. She had had him in her line of sight for almost the entire night and he hadn't had a sip of alcohol. So why was he…? Her memory flared and her eyes widened as she caught his wrist and spun him to face her. He blinked as though the fast movements befuddled him slightly and her hand pressed securely to his forehead.

"There's no way you're sleeping on the floor when you still have a temperature," she told him, and the look on her face meant arguing would not help in the slightest.

"You can't sleep on the floor either," Zuko frowned. Then his expression turned calculating as he looked at her wearily. "Unless… Neither of us sleep on the floor?" Her eyebrows rose as she understood. "It's not that much different than sleeping on Appa together, is it?" he added hastily.

Her brow furrowed in thought as she eyed him shrewdly, trying to see if there was any hidden meaning on his face. There was not, and she scolded her banging heart. This was _Zuko _she was talking to here.

"No," she answered him. "it's not that different at all. Besides, the bed's pretty big. Come on."

They both walked towards opposite sides of the bed, slightly tense. They removed their shoes but kept all their clothes on as they yanked back the covers. It wasn't as though they'd never seen each other in their underwear before, but the situation made them both rather nervous. Katara slipped under the covers first and, after some hesitation, Zuko followed. They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling in silence, before they caught each other's eye and burst out laughing.

"Why are we being such prudes about this?" Katara giggled. "We've slept under the same blanket before _loads _of times."

"I guess 'cause we're alone now and the word 'bed' is involved," he chuckled back.

"You don't mind if I take my dress off, do you? It's going to be really uncomfortable to sleep in."

"By all means." He suddenly grinned. "I could do it for you, if you want."

She sent the contents of a water bowl into his face, laughing as he blinked in surprise.

"Behave or I'm fetching Sokka and setting him on you," she teased, standing up and yanking her stiff dress over her head.

She was now only in the light blue tunic and tights that she wore under the formal dress. And under those were her usual white bindings. As she had that thought an overwhelming desire to put the dress back on overcame her for a moment but when she blinked it was gone. She climbed back into the bed and again placed a hand on Zuko's forehead.

"You okay?" she asked him. He nodded and she took her hand away. "Alright… Wake me up if you get too hot and I'll make you some ice, okay? And take your shirt off too."

She hated herself for blushing at the words, even more so when Zuko noticed and grinned.

"This fake date is going much further than our other ones," he joked as he yanked off the material.

"Well it's about time," she said in a mock prissy voice, putting her hand on her hip. "We've been fake dating for two years now. It's time we fake sleep with each other already!"

He chuckled and lay back down, hoping she wouldn't notice how erratic his heartbeats were after her words. He turned to make another joke when he saw she was staring at him with a slightly twisted look on her face.

"What?" he asked her. When she didn't answer he followed her line of sight to the scar from Azula's lightning on his chest. "Oh. Hey, don't look like that. You healed it good and proper."

She sighed and lay down too, angling herself so she could look at him.

"I wish you hadn't gotten it," she murmured.

"And what would have happened to you if I hadn't?" he replied, and she flinched slightly. "Besides, I added a new scar to my collection," he added lightly.

Katara threw him a withering glare. He raised his eyebrow questioningly, the candlelight playing across the scar on his face. She doused out the candle, throwing them in darkness and washing away the image of the marks on him, but didn't say anything else. Instead, suddenly tired, she snuggled deeper under the covers and closed her eyes with a sigh. Zuko turned away from her and shut his eyes too. It was a matter of minutes before he fell asleep, but Katara's mind hovered on the edge of wakefulness, her body cold. More asleep than awake she found herself shifting up until Zuko's warm body was against hers. Smiling softly at the warmth she fell asleep.

"What do you mean, they're _sharing a room_?"

Sokka flinched at his father's loud voice and thought, vaguely, that he should also be upset about the fact that his baby sister had spent a night in the same room as the evil Firelord. But his head was throbbing too much, and he had been woken up by the concerned parents, who had come to look for their children, far too early in the morning for him to be truly awake.

"Relax," Toph sighed. "You're making a big deal outa nothing. If you promise not to yell and wake them up, I'll show you myself."

At their promises, Hakoda's rather forced, the Earthbender lead them upstairs quietly. She pushed open one of the doors in the hall and pointed. Inside, still dead to the world and blissfully unaware of their audience, slept Zuko and Katara. Zuko lay, sprawled, on his back with his left arm flung wide. Using that flung arm as a pillow, Katara curled up almost against him for the warmth, her face peaceful. They both still had all the clothes on they had gone to bed with, a fact that seemed to only slightly pacify Hakoda.

"They're still in the same bed together!" he exploded once they were downstairs again; he couldn't bear to wake his daughter when she was sleeping so soundly.

"I assure you, good sir," Iroh said placidly. "My nephew would never dishonour your daughter."

"Yeah, this is _Zuko _we're talking about here. You know, the guy who chased Aang relentlessly to _regain _his honour? Iroh's right; he'd never do something like that, especially not to Katara."

"And even if he _did _try, she'd kick his butt," Aang put in helpfully.

The Water Tribe Chief had no choice but to deflate at that. He sank into a chair and let the rest of the gaang assure him even more by telling him they all used to sleep bundled up together on Appa…

Meanwhile, upstairs, Katara stirred. She'd had a very nice sleep, she mused as she dragged herself into the waking world. The party had made her tired enough to sleep soundly and the arm around her was very warm and safe…

Her eyes flew open and she stared at the limb in surprise. Then she looked at the person it was attached to and she relaxed, remembering the previous night. She smiled at the sight of Zuko sleeping, his mouth slightly open, his limbs sprawled. He looked utterly peaceful that way, as though his life had had nothing upsetting in it at all. Gently, and without fully knowing why, she stroked his hair away from his face. She felt her eyes soften at the sight of him, and listened to his soft breathing as though it was some sweet song she hadn't heard in a long time…

Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind that made her freeze. For a while she held her breath, calming her thudding heart, before she tentatively revisited the thought, trying to approach it objectively. _I want to wake up next to him everyday_. She blinked again at the foreign words in her head and at the warm feeling they brought to her chest. It was impossible, what her mind was telling her her heart thought. She must still be slightly sleep-deprived…

She rolled over and curled herself into a tight ball, trying to think of something that made more sense. She kept her mind away from his hair, the way she could imagine him in a few years time, with the shadow of a beard on his face, lying across a similar bed from her… She fought off the thought of his touch, how she could imagine falling asleep in his embrace every night, smelling him…

"Katara? Are you awake?"

His voice was low, soft enough not to wake her if she had been asleep. As it was, her eyes flew open and she turned towards him, glad to have a distraction from her strange thoughts. He was closer than she had thought, leaning over to look at her. He had the strangest look on his face as he surveyed her morning hair and face, a look that made her stomach clench while she wondered why on earth it reacted at all.

"How's the temperature today?" she asked brightly, feeling his forehead and finding it to be normal.

"Did you… sleep well?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"Yes, thanks. You kept me warm," she smiled, blushing a bit. "How about you?"

"I slept… really well, thanks." And then he muttered something so quietly Katara was left wondering if he had said anything at all. "You sleeping next to me just felt so right…"

"They're trying again?"

Toph nodded in response to Sokka's question, not bothering to look in his direction, her attention solely focused on a circling Aang and Katara. The two had practiced since the last time, and they had now progressed to the part where they actually started bending together. Their bending was still a little rocky, but they seemed in control of it as they arched away from each other and began their symmetrical dance. Everybody else began listening to Sokka's tale about Appa and Momo and only Toph was left worrying about the two benders. The two tried to come together, failed, and went back to the previous steps. But on the second try they managed to start the spinning Yin Yang-like formation. Toph frowned and concentrated harder.

"Their balance isn't perfect," she muttered to herself. Then, suddenly, her muscles locked. "Zuko!" she screamed.

The Firelord turned and saw the problem at once. Without a second of hesitation he flung himself forward, ignoring his uncle's calls. His gold eyes trained on the point of Aang and Katara's formation where he could see the lightning beginning, ready to explode out of the bonded elements. Straight at Aang. The lightning flashed, and he saw the Avatar's eyes widen in comprehension before he leapt up and snatched the lightning out of the air. In his mind he heard his uncle's words again, and followed them, the blue light engulfing him as he kept the lightning in his body. He flung it out of himself harmlessly over Aang's head.

Katara saw him catch the lightning and for a moment she was back on the day he fought Azula, seeing him flung to the side, twitching as the lighting flowed through his body. Her fear froze the water she was bending, allowing her to break out of the formation with Aang.

"Spirits," the Avatar whimpered, his face ashen and his eyes huge.

"Zuko! Zuko, are you alright?"

Katara's wild eyes found him, and she felt herself go weak with relief as he turned to her, unharmed. His face was black thunder.

"What about 'don't go any further until you're in perfect balance' don't you get?" he snarled, and Aang quailed under his fury. "You could have gotten yourself killed! You and Katara both!"

The Avatar hung his head and Katara looked down at her feet too. The Firelord grit his teeth, obviously trying to calm himself down before he said anything else and after a moment or two the rage disappeared from his face. With a small sigh he headed back towards the crowd, who were still all gaping in shock at how close it had been. Aang caught his arm.

"Could you… You and Katara…? Please?"

"Come on, let's do it," Katara pleaded with him too when his expression remained unyielding.

He frowned but turned towards her again, and Aang trotted up to Toph, who immediately punched him for being reckless. Zuko told Katara they were not going to put as much power in as last time, and the two started with their close-knit dance. After a few minutes Toph suddenly frowned and crouched back to the ground again.

"What's wrong?" Sokka was anxious.

"Something's… different this time…" she muttered, her brow creased. "It's like… a wall that was there is now gone… The balance is… much more complete…" Everybody crowded forwards to try and see what she meant. "STOP MOVING, I'M TRYING TO FEEL!" she bellowed with such force that they all froze.

Katara and Zuko were creating symmetrical patterns again, but Toph was right; there was something different. It was rather subtle, but it was there. The fire now seemed like it was a reflection of the water, not a separate element. Their bending was therefore even more beautiful than it had been the time before, more closely knit, more part of the never-ending balance.

"Do you know what caused the… wall to break?" Aang asked Toph, who shook her head.

"I don't have a clue yet. But I'll know if they keep going on the course they're on. The path they're on now will end with them doing something that will be the obvious reason to the wall's disappearance. It'll be an instinct from their bodies that they can't ignore."

Everybody continued to watch the two benders, trying to unravel the mystery for themselves. Zuko and Katara moved closer together, starting to calm the twisting formation around them. Their bodies meshed as the fire flickered and died first, the water still semi-floating in the air. They came to a stop as they had before, but instead of relaxing Toph became tenser.

"It's coming! Tell me what happens!"

Zuko's eyes opened, met Katara's. The expression in them made his stomach clench and his heart pick up its already fast rhythm. Completely oblivious to the crowd in which Toph was murmuring, "Come on, Come ON!" they just stood and looked at each other, feeling the path their bodies wanted to take. Finally Katara, whether entirely by herself or because of Toph's unheard urging, allowed herself to do what her body wanted. She rose up on her tiptoes and placed her lips on Zuko's as the rain splattered down on them. There was complete silence.

"They're kissing, aren't they?" Toph's voice held growing joy and excitement.

"You mean I'm not dreaming?" Suki asked, breathless. "After two years of us hoping, they've _finally _stopped fighting it?"

"You're not dreaming," Toph grinned.

Suki let out a whoop and flung her arms in the air in utter joy. Squealing, "Yes, yes, YES!" she grabbed Toph's hands and the two girls did a victory dance around the place, utterly ecstatic. Sokka hadn't moved a millimetre.

"Wha…" he suddenly choked, pointing a shaking hand at his sister who was still kissing the Firelord. "They… She… He… Them… I…"

"Oh _please_. You can _not _tell me you're surprised," Toph said incredulously.

"I…" Sokka sighed, deflating in defeat. "No," he said glumly. "I saw it coming. I guess there's still a part of me that thinks of her as…"

Suki put her arms around him. "She's old enough to choose a guy for herself," she told him soothingly yet firmly. "And you know Zuko's right for her. Isn't she?" the warrior asked Toph.

"Heck yeah! You guys keep going on about how pretty it is when they bend together? Well just imagine that formation happening within their hearts. They're flipping _made _for each other, it's not even funny."

"Uh, it doesn't look like they see it that way…" Aang said, pointing.

Zuko and Katara had broken the kiss and were now staring at each other in horror. It was clear that neither of them knew what to do next.

"Come on, let's give them some space to talk it out."

Aang shepherded everybody down the stairs, noting with some satisfaction that the families of the Waterbender and Firelord were talking to each other, and that they had smiles on their faces as they did. Somehow he thought it wasn't just Sokka who would give the two his blessing. After a long time Zuko and Katara came down the stairs, looking rather awkward and embarrassed. They had barely reached the courtyard when Kanna grabbed Zuko in a crushing bear hug. Zuko's eyes popped in surprise and Katara giggled helplessly until Iroh grabbed her in a similar hug, cutting off her air supply. The rest of the people sniggered at this while Ursa and Hakoda joined the four and had a conversation with Zuko and Katara. Sokka joined in too, and all others butted out, giving them privacy. Suki kept an eye on her boyfriend, however, just to make sure he didn't do anything idiotic. She saw Zuko bow to both Kanna and Hakoda at least twice, while Katara looked unbelievably happy to be embraced by Ursa. Zuko got told off by Kanna for not calling her "Gran Gran" and the Firelord's face was so comical that the Warrior had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles.

Eventually the meeting broke off and Zuko and Katara went off with Hakoda while the other adults went to join the rest of the 'outsiders' and Sokka walked up to Suki to give her a kiss.

"So what did they say? Are they gonna give it a go?" Toph was impatient.

"Yep. But they're taking it day by day, not rushing things." He seemed very happy by this thought. "Nice and slow."

Hakoda reappeared and called his son over, his smile still in place. Toph's head cocked to the side and a sly grin made its way onto her face.

"Oh _right_. _Real _nice and slow."

At their questioning silence she dragged them around the corner and pointed. Suki giggled again while Aang blushed slightly at what he was seeing. Zuko and Katara were kissing once more, Zuko's one hand cupping the back of her neck while her hands curled into his hair. He had picked her up so her legs were around his middle and his free hand supported her there.

"Suki?"

"Yeah, Aang?"

"Don't let Sokka see."

"I won't. Not until they're married and he can do nothing about it."

* * *

**Credits: **

Again, bending lightning etc first thought up by Fandomme in **Stormbenders. **

The end kissing scene is taken from a really, really beautiful drawing titled **Zutara **and it's by Rikusumi on deviantART


	6. Breaking

**AN: **Wow... Now that's what I call fast responses... Thanks to the four of you that reviewed! You're the people who made this chapter come so fast. Yeah, this is the chapter with the plot twist. I'm actually excited about it :P

Now comes the not-so-good news (for you). I have a total of 150 reviews and, as most of you will know, the person who is my 200th reviewer gets a oneshot written for them. Now I'm on holiday and bored senseless, so I want the 200th review to COME DAMMIT. So I'm going to punish you lot. I am only going to update the next chapter when I get 10 reviews for this. Yeah, ten. The next chapter has already been written. It's sitting there, waiting for you. So. Ten reviews. And NO CHEATING by reviewing three times with different accounts. I'll know XD

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But I do own my evilness at making you wait for ten reviews to come in XD

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**V. Breaking **

"Zuko, we need to talk."

The Firelord looked up and was suddenly reminded of the last time she had said those words. Her face had been stony and expressionless then too. His stomach twisted, although not nearly as much as it had the previous time. After all, what on earth could she tell him now that would make any difference at all? He gave Katara an apologetic kiss on her head and then got up to follow Mai. Ty Lee was waiting for the two by the temple's stairs, her face unusually grave. She was obviously going to play the arbitrator in the conversation that followed.

As Katara watched them go, jealousy gripped her. Who did the noblewoman think she was, _demanding _that the Firelord talk to her because he'd gotten a new girlfriend? Hadn't _she _been the one to dump _him_? She therefore had no right to have any say in Zuko's relationship now. She didn't even have the right to sulk as she had been for the past couple of days, ever since Zuko had first kissed her. At first Mai had moped around the temple, even surlier than normal, but after a day she went outside to do her brooding. She had apparently found an abandoned mansion not far away, and she spent all her time there exploring the many halls and underground tunnels. Ty Lee had finally gone after her friend, but instead of returning with her she stayed in the old mansion too. It obviously held some excitement for the acrobat.

"She's not going to drop down dead just 'cause you're glaring at her," Toph's voice interjected the Waterbender's thoughts. "Relax, Sweetness. Let the woman get it off her chest."

"Yeah. There isn't _that _big a chance she'll bury him alive in those passages," Sokka put in.

"Not helping," Suki told him, shaking her head when he shot her an innocent look.

Katara sighed but looked away, planning to focus all her attention on something else until Zuko returned. That worked for the first hour, but when Zuko still hadn't come back after nearly two hours of being away with Mai, she was ready to explode from anxiety.

"Okay, it's been too long now. Go after him," Toph commanded.

The Waterbender obeyed at once, walking faster than she normally would have in her haste to get to Zuko again. What on earth could he and Mai possibly be talking about for two hours? Her breathing was fast by the time she finally reached the abandoned mansion. It looked, she had to admit, rather sinister. It was hardly crumbling at all but she was sure that it had been empty for a very long time. The stone it was made from was now almost completely covered in an array of plants, and many of the doors and windows were just gaping holes. Taking a deep breath, she silently slipped through the front door, being careful not to touch any of the rotting wood. The entrance hall was overgrown with plants, but a pathway had been cleared that led to the next room, which was probably a study of some sorts. She could hear a soft voice coming from inside said room and paused to listen. It was demanding and muffled, and a feeling of unease stirred in Katara's stomach; the voice was slightly familiar, but she could not place it. She followed the path into the adjacent room and stopped dead in her tracks.

The room was filled with people, most of them Fire Nation guards. Mai and Zuko stood in the middle of the room, in front of an ancient table on which a man, fully clothed in what appeared to be Earth Kingdom armour, stood. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee were the only people whose faces were uncovered. Tension rolled off everybody in waves that made Katara's knees waver.

"I…" She had no clue what to say.

She looked at Zuko and her stomach seemed to disappear; there was something wrong with his eyes, with the way he looked at her. His gaze turned to Mai and she looked at him steadily. The Firelord threw a tiny glance at the armoured man and then he turned back to Katara.

"Katara…" She flinched; his voice sounded wrong too. "I…"

"What are all the guards doing here?" she asked, finding her voice.

"Mai called them," Zuko said at once. "She… We… need the escorts back to the Fire Nation…"

"You're going back? What happened?" She wanted to walk over to him, to have him touch her, but something in the way he looked at her kept her rooted to the spot.

"Mai and I…" Zuko seemed to waver suddenly, his eyes flashing with something. Mai suddenly put her hand on Zuko's back. The gesture drove ice into Katara's heart. "We talked," he went on, looking at a point above her shoulder. "We talked everything over and we realized…"

"No." It was nothing more than a whisper, dragged from her breaking heart.

"We realized that we were both still madly in love with each other," Zuko went on mercilessly. "She was scared, that's why she left. And you and I… We never were anything more than friends."

His words were tearing her apart, inch by inch, syllable by syllable. And yet, even as her heart shattered under the blows, her head refused to absorb it. What he was telling her made no sense, the way Mai had her hand on his back made no sense. No sense.

"I don't understand," she told him, and her voice was steady. "Are you… breaking up with me?" She felt sick as she saw the answer on his face. "She's engaged!"

"I am the Firelord," he said flatly. "I'll be able to annul their engagement. That's why we're going back. To make everything right as soon as possible."

Sluggishly, her mind was catching up to what her heart already knew. He could have kept quiet and she still would have understood, but Mai gave him a look and he went on.

"I'm sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to hurt you." Somehow she thought he said those two sentences different from all the others. "I never…" He took a deep breath. "I guess we never really were… like that together, the way we wanted to be. There was nothing there, honestly. You were just a close friend that could become more. And now-"

"Stop," she begged him, her voice so quiet she could barely hear it. "Don't say another word. Please. Just stop." He stared at her, gold eyes meeting her blue ones. "So everything was just… pretend? It wasn't real?"

For an agonising moment there was silence, then the armoured man shifted and Zuko spoke.

"No, it wasn't real. It was all just pretend, make-believe, a fantasy. I never really loved you."

And with that her mind caught up to her heart and it shattered too, dragging her into such intense pain she wondered why she wasn't on the floor writhing in it. She looked at him and he stared back in a room in an abandoned mansion surrounded by guards and his love. She nodded, almost as if to clear her head.

"I'll be leaving, then," she whispered.

He said nothing. She turned and stumbled towards the door, feeling the dam about to burst behind her eyelids. She was raw and gasping, needing to get out. And that was why, she told herself, she imagined Zuko's voice whispering as she left the room.

"Run, Katara. Run."

She listened to it anyway.

Over the next three days, the only words Katara seemed to say were, "I'm fine. No, don't worry. We agreed to take it slow, and it didn't work out. I'm fine, I swear."

Those she said those words to did not have to be Toph to know she was lying through her teeth. They had all seen her face the day she arrived back, the way she could look at nobody when she told them what had happened. At first nobody believed her. Then, as she insisted it was true and her face confirmed the fact, some of the people present believed. Only the gaang and those people closer to Zuko still refused to hear what she was telling them. They were obstinate that it was impossible; how could _Zuko _do that? And even when he did not come back the next day and they had no maybes to hide behind, most of them still would not truly believe it.

Toph was one of those who swore blatantly that there was more behind it, that her 'brother' would never do something like that, that it was insane. No matter what anybody, including Katara, said to her she did not waver from her conviction and eventually the rest gave up and let her be as much as they let Katara alone to her own thoughts. Iroh and Ursa were both utterly confused and alarmed, not understanding why Zuko would do this all of a sudden. Ursa wanted to send Sokka's Messenger Hawk to him asking him what was going on, but Iroh convinced her not to. He had learned from experience that it was better to let Zuko be for a couple of days before questioning his choices. By then the Firelord would have had time to think about his decisions and would usually began to question whether he was right, especially about choices as bad as the one he had made with Katara.

Thus the vacation's happiness disappeared as those left at the Western Air Temple all moped around, some believing Zuko firmly meant what he had said, some believing there was something more to the story and everybody else hovered in-between the two extremes, unsure of what to do or think. Katara kept herself isolated as much as possible, keeping herself busy with anything she could to keep herself from remembering or thinking 'what if'. She found the latter harder to suppress. Where the memories were gone and could be forgotten with effort, the things she had imagined or foreseen happening refused to be silenced. Finally, on the third night since she'd last spoken to Zuko, Katara's mind could not keep back the images and she dreamed.

The dream was long and lucid and kept her asleep an hour after everybody else had woken up. Nobody bothered her, thinking she needed the rest, but eventually she woke up by herself. For a moment she confused the dream with reality and a blissful happiness seeped into every pore of her body. Then she rolled over to look at the other side of the bed and she found it empty. Her heart seemed to shatter again as she realized she was still in the Western Air Temple and what she was remembering must all be a dream because Zuko…

For the first time since she returned to the temple after her catastrophic search for Zuko, Katara cried. She hunched herself into a ball on her bed and just wept it all out, letting the raw remainders of her dream keep the tears coming. She barely reacted when her grandmother pulled her onto her lap, rocking her gently and singing an old lullaby from her younger days. She could feel that everybody else was in her room too, standing around unsure on what to do but unable to bring themselves to leave. She cried on. Another pair of female hands stroked her hair back into a more comfortable position and the tears came faster as she mourned for the mother that could have been hers, that still treated her as a daughter even though her son…Finally she was empty of tears and she managed to pull away from her grandmother, who gently wiped her face with her sleeve.

"And now, child? What finally made you come to terms with it?"

"I had a dream, Gran Gran," Katara whispered, dragging her knees up to her chest.

"A bad one?"

"No! No, it was… wonderful. I was… I don't know _where _I was exactly, but it was a warm, sunny place. I was lying in a bed that was as soft as polarmice fur… and it was big too. Somehow the bed felt warmer than the air and when I turned to see why…" She took a shuddering breath. "He was there next to me. He was still sleeping, with that oddly peaceful look he has when he's deep asleep. I watched him and he woke up under my gaze, saw me looking and smiled and then… kissed me. He said something about an early morning training session and that I got to use the bathroom first that morning.

I found myself getting up after he left and in the mirror I looked a bit older, though still mostly the same. I was wearing Mom's necklace still, but somehow I knew that he had bought the new chain and that he'd _given _it to me… The way these necklaces are supposed to be given… And I'd accepted, which meant that the reason we had slept in the same bed was because we were…" She could not complete the sentence. "I can't remember moving, but suddenly I was in this huge dining hall. He was there waiting for me and we had breakfast, teasing each other and even once or twice eating out of the other's bowl what they didn't like.

I can't remember what happened the rest of the day, all I know is that he was there all the time, always holding me or touching my hand or kissing me… And then, after supper, we sparred for a bit and then lay outside on the roof to watch the stars. I think I was falling asleep in my dream because he carried me back to the bed and tucked me in and whispered stuff about how beautiful I was and how much he… he… And I fell asleep listening to the dream him saying that and woke up and…"

Her grandmother wiped away the fresh tears, holding her again as she tried to suppress the dream images of a future her and Zuko.

"You want what you dreamed, don't you?" Kana asked her gently.

"Gran Gran, I've almost never wanted anything more in my whole life," Katara whispered back, her voice full of raw emotion.

Nobody knew what to say to that and after a few minutes of awkward silence Katara sighed and then got up, calmly asking what everybody wanted for breakfast. They all answered politely yet detachedly, although Sokka gave her a hug as she left her room. The whole group trailed after her towards the courtyard, but when they got there it was not empty like they had expected.

"Ty Lee? What on_ earth _are you doing here?" Suki's voice was not exactly friendly.

Ty Lee, now wearing the pink clothes she had before becoming a Kyoshi Warrior, shifted, looking highly uncomfortable.

"I…" She hesitated, then bit her lip and seemed to blurt it out. "I have to tell you all to run and go and hide somewhere. That's what I was asked to tell you."

"Who asked you to tell us _that_?" Sokka scorned.

Ty Lee bit her lip again and they could tell from her pained silence who had sent her.

"So he abandons us again, breaks my daughter's heart and then sends you, not even bothering to come himself, to tell us to run and hide. What, does he want to bring _her _here for a vacation now?" Hakoda barked, making Ty Lee flinch.

"Dad, leave it," Katara told him quietly, feeling slightly sorry for the girl. "Don't try and put blame on her; she has to obey him."

Hakoda was about to say something back to her, but the look on Ty Lee's face stopped him. Her expression was one of incredulous pain, as though she couldn't believe Katara hadn't figured something out and felt intensely sorry for her for it.

"Katara," she said softly. "It's not like that…"

"Look, Ty Lee, I know it's not your fault and that you're just following orders but there's really nothing you can tell me that'll make any difference at all," the Waterbender said flatly, turning to walk into the kitchen area.

"All the Fire Nation soldiers in that room were Dai Li in disguise!" Katara froze in her tracks. "It was all a trap… When Mai put her arm around Zuko she was actually holding a knife to the back of his neck. That armoured suit is Long Feng's. She stood on that table because it was a perfect vantage point to tell the Dai Li to attack you if Zuko said one word wrong. You never would have seen it coming and even if you survived the Dai Li she would have… Her plan is to first take Zuko out of the way and then come for the rest of you one by one. Because she wanted to stick to her original idea- her 'perfect revenge'- she told Zuko she'd let you go for now if he could get you to leave unsuspecting." Ty Lee's eyes never left Katara's from the moment the Waterbender turned around to face the acrobat. "And so he lied his butt off, telling you everything and anything he could to get you to leave so that you weren't hurt."

_Run, Katara. Run_.

"Wait, woah!" Aang waved his hands, utterly confused. "You kept saying 'she' all the time, but Long Feng is a guy. So don't you mean 'he'?"

"Long Feng was killed," Ty Lee told the Avatar. "She killed him and stole his armour to travel undetected."

"Who is 'she'?" Toph demanded in a shaking voice, dreading she knew the answer.

"Azula," Ty Lee whispered, and Katara felt her insides disappear. "She's escaped from that… place and she's planning on taking the Fire Nation for herself after she's taken all of you down. Zuko has occupied her attention for the past couple of days, but soon she's going to move onto the rest of you and no lie Zuko can tell will get you away from her. So he sent me to tell you to run, to hide, to get away from her…"

_Run, Katara. Run. _

She was finding it hard to breathe as Ty Lee's words sunk in, one by one making her heart do strange things. There was an important question she had to ask, but her lips could not formulate the words. Luckily Suki knew what she must be thinking and asked the question herself.

"Ty Lee! Is Zuko okay?"

"Well… Uh…" She paused, shifting. "Define 'okay'…"

"Okay!" Sokka exploded, his apprehension making him snappish. "Able to stand up by himself, conscious most of the time, the wounds his sister gave him properly taken care of, still able to fight a bit… Okay!"

"In that case…" Ty Lee looked at the ground. "No, no he's not okay."

There was a moment of utter silence and then every one of the gaang members moved at once, heading for the staircase. Sokka slung his sword over his shoulder as Suki picked up her fan and tossed off her cumbersome jacket, ready for battle. Some of the grownups started to go along, but Aang turned and stopped them.

"We might miss Azula, and then there has to be people here to protect those who can't fight, to give them chance to run away and hide."

"Ty Lee, you stay here with the rest of the girls to give protection and to stop Azula from attacking you," Suki told her, and she nodded and went to stand with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors.

"Ursa…" Iroh turned to the lady who met his stare with a cold one of her own.

"You cannot ask me to stay here when my son is in peril, Iroh," she said in a dangerous voice, her eyes flashing fire.

"Think," Iroh begged her. "Think what Azula might do to you, think of what it would do to Zuko if anything happened to you… Please…"

Ursa's expression lost its determination and instead just looked anxious and pained. Iroh touched her shoulder briefly, giving her a small smile.

"Bring my boy back," Ursa begged, speaking to everybody who was going.

"Are they in the Fire Nation already?" Aang asked Ty Lee.

The girl shook her head. "No, she's only going there after she's done away with everybody else. They're still in the underground maze by the old mansion."

Aang nodded and the gaang plus Iroh headed up the stairs, their steps heavy with worry for Zuko as well as guilt at ever believing he would abandon them like that. Katara's heart was beating much to fast, but she could not slow it.

"Toph, you're going to have to use your feet to find him," Aang told his girlfriend as they neared the mansion. "We'll go after Mai and Azula while you look."

"Azula's mine this time," Toph growled, her face promising violence.

"That depends," Sokka said in a forced kind of voice.

"On?" Toph demanded.

"On who reaches her first."

Aang looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came out and he just pressed his lips together. They advanced the rest of the way in silence and once they were in the mansion and had found the entrance to the underground passages Toph broke off from the main group, trying hard to pick up Zuko's vibrations. For a while she felt absolutely nothing, then she felt the footsteps of a soldier. Determined to force the information from him in whatever way was necessary she leapt out at him, rocks flying.

"Wait, wait!" the soldier cried. "I am part of Lieutenant Jee's team! I am on your side!"

"Lieutenant who?" Toph asked, letting him loose of her rock grip only because she could feel he was not lying.

"Lieutenant Jee. He was the captain of Firelord Zuko's ship when he was searching for the Avatar. I was one of his crew. We are loyal to him and him only and have taken him to another room where we are caring for him to the best of our abilities."

Toph gaped at him but then recovered herself and demanded he take her to Zuko. He complied, leading her deep into the maze, making her concentrate to remember the way. Every turn in the mass of hollowed rock seemed the same and even the stalagmite formations were very much the same to her vision. He finally stopped at a piece of wall Toph could feel was a hidden door.

"I pledge myself to the greater power of the Fire Nation and remain loyal to the rightful member of the throne," he said in a low, clear voice.

The door was pulled open and Toph stepped in after him as he explained she was the blind Earthbender. Her heart leapt in relief as she felt Zuko's heartbeat on the other side of the room; irregular but still strong. She could not see how badly he was hurt but she could tell from the atmosphere that he was wounded pretty badly.

"It's bad, isn't it?" she asked, swallowing hard as she walked over to her brother, slowly so she didn't misjudge and step on him.

"Yes," a man she assumed was Lieutenant Jee answered. "We've tried our best but…"

Toph nodded and bent down, feeling his pulse from the ground. He was conscious, though barely and slipping under fast. She touched his forehead to feel for fever and felt his eyes open.

"T… Toph?"

"Hey there, Sparky." Her attempted lightness failed miserably.

"What are you doing here?" She assumed Zuko would have sounded angry if his voice wasn't so weak. "You have to get out! If she catches you… Toph…"

"Woah, calm down! I'm no healer but I know your heart rate shouldn't be that high!" She was alarmed as she felt the staccato beating.

"Get away!" Zuko paid no attention to her, and grabbed her arm. "Toph… Azula… The Dai Li… She…"

"Calm down! Zuko, just…Please… Okay! I'm going, okay? We came to rescue you but I'll tell them it's hopeless for now and I'll get them all out okay? We'll all run and hide. She won't get us, it's okay," she babbled, relived when his heart rate slowed. "We'll see you again soon, when Jee gets you out of here. We'll be hiding," she told him, squeezing his hand and standing up.

She said nothing to any of Zuko's old crew as she left, but she felt the significance of the atmosphere. The same guard who had led her there followed her out, ready to be her guide. Zuko watched her go for as long as he could, fighting the coming unconsciousness.

"Lieutenant… Jee… She is leaving, right?" he whispered, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Yes, sire. We're making sure her and the others leave right now."

As their Firelord slipped into unconsciousness the crew uncrossed the fingers they had been holding behind their backs as Lieutenant Jee had lied.

* * *

A repeat of the above: ten reviews, then the next chapter will be up. Then you'll all see what happens to Zuko and the rest of the Gaang XD Again, they don't have to be in-depth studies (although I'd love that); just tell me what you liked the most and what you didn't like that much/at all.

**Credits **

You know, this chapter was actually all my own... Huh... That can't be right... If anybody notices what I missed PLEASE tell me... Becuase there's no way I'd didn't reference SOMETHING in this chapter...

**Note: **Jee's name, according to my friend the Internet, can be spelt either Jee or Ji. I chose Jee becuase the Dai Li already had the Li covered. So sue me :P


	7. Healing

AN: I actually got ten reviews... Holy RA but you people rule! I have the best readers in the world *huggle* Thank you to every single one of you! Here's the next chapter, uploaded with all my love and hope that you enjoy it. More important notes at the end. All else I need to say here, though, is **Merry Christmas! **

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Even after Christmas. Drat!

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**VI. Healing **

There was little light so far underground, but none of them cared. Rage and determination filled almost everybody, and those it didn't fill knew they could do nothing to stop the upcoming violence. It would happen; Katara's expression promised it. As they tore down the tunnels, looking for the former Fire Princess, Aang found himself feeling glad it was not full moon. He knew Katara hated bloodbending, but he also knew of her temper. And Azula had messed with one of the dearest things to the Waterbender. He was thus glad the temptation was not there; he could still remember how Hama had looked.

They rounded a corner and suddenly came face-to-face with guards. _Dai Li _Aang corrected himself as the Fire Nation clad men threw rocks in their direction. The Dai Li were still an impressive force, but emotion and years of betterment were on the gaang's side, and so they managed to fare well. Sokka was just cutting through a shower of stones sent his way when a needle whizzed out of nowhere and pinned his arm to the wall. He looked up and saw Mai, expressionless as per usual, weapons in hand. Suki whirled to face the new attacker, but Katara got there first.

"How _could _you? How could you do that? You let her take him away and _hurt _him!" Her eyes were large and swimming with tears.

"He asked for it," Mai answered quietly, standing up from where Katara's attack has felled her.

"How? By being _happy_?"

"He was supposed to love only me!" The other girl's voice rose with a rare show of emotion. "And at first he did, and then it was only the country, the country, the country! I thought that was just how he was, that that was all he _could _give so I told myself that we were just not meant to be. Then I saw how he acted around you… It was much more than he'd _ever _done for me. He was everything I wanted him to be like, everything I convinced myself he could _never _be. He didn't deserve to go off unpunished."

Katara let out a cry of rage and flung herself, body and soul, at the black-haired girl. Water flew everywhere, freezing, condensing, forming walls of massive power as the rage pumped through her veins. Suddenly two arms grabbed her from behind, holding her in place. She struggled wildly but Iroh held on, his strong grip unbreakable.

"Stop! Katara, stop! You'll need your energy to heal Zuko when we find him. You're the only one who can!"

She fell still at Sokka's words, letting Iroh hold her as the rest knocked Mai to the ground and disarmed her. She was let go and she froze the girl in a thick column of ice; it would take a long time for her to break out of there. She was shaking slightly, but it was not from tiredness or cold.

"Mai," Iroh addressed the noblewoman. "Mai, do you know where Zuko is?"

Mai shook her head. "No. Azula said he didn't want to see anybody. She said it was just better that he remain locked up by himself, until she took over and then let him go."

"Let him go?" Sokka scoffed. "That's the lie she fed you? You should have listened to Ty Lee rather than Azula; heard exactly what she was doing to her brother."

"Ty Lee… Got to see him?"

They saw the confusion and betrayal dawn in Mai's eyes and they realized that, no matter how much she had wanted Zuko to get punished for the pain he'd caused her, she had never believed he would get seriously hurt. She had, once again, been taken in by Azula.

"Mai, where is my niece?" Iroh asked gently as the noblewoman's eyes filled with tears of shame and horror.

"Down this passage, take the first left then the second right. The first room you come to is hers." She couldn't meet Iroh's gaze.

Katara, still seething and not ready to forgive, knocked Mai unconscious, her face black. To her it didn't matter that Mai hadn't known; she should have realized by then that Azula was a lying, cheating snake. She should have demanded to see Zuko, like Ty Lee probably had. She never should have agreed to hurt Zuko in the first place. She had a fiancé who loved her, and who she supposedly loved. But, even as the anger boiled through her, Katara saw Mai's point of view. She had risked everything for Zuko, and had loved him with all she had. Yes, she had someone who loved her now, but she'd wanted that from Zuko, and Katara, the enemy, was getting what she could never have. The Waterbender glared at the Fire Nation girl, torn between hate and pity. Sokka squeezed her shoulder as they turned to continue down the passage. There was suddenly a roar of breaking rocks and Toph broke her way through the wall to their left. She was panting, sweating and very grubby.

"Forget about Azula," she said in a slightly choked voice.

"But we're on the right path!" Sokka complained, waving his arm down the passage.

"I said forget her! We can come after her another time! We need to get Zuko out of here. _Right now_."

Their blood turned to ice.

"How bad is he?" Aang asked, swallowing rather loudly.

"I don't know exactly, but pretty bad."

"You don't know _exactly_?" Sokka was frustrated. "How can you not? You found him, didn't you?"

"I can't _see_, Sokka!" Toph yelled. "I don't _know _where he's bleeding or how many bones are broken! I just know that his vibrations feel _wrong_."

"I'm sorry, Toph…" Sokka mumbled, red. "I didn't…"

"I know," Toph replied quietly. "We just really gotta get him out of here. The psychopath can wait."

She started to back out through the hole in the wall again but, just as they started to follow, there were shouts and more Dai Li appeared. They all whirled to face the coming troops, now fuelled by desperation at Toph's words. Wordlessly, Aang turned to Iroh. The general stared at the Avatar for a long moment, then he bowed his head in gratitude. As Aang turned back to the battle, Iroh and Toph ran the other way, towards Zuko. The same soldier from before was waiting for them.

"It's okay," Toph told Iroh as the old general tensed. "He's part of the crew that's on our side. Lieutenant Jee's team."

"Jee?" Iroh's eyebrows rose. "He survived the North Pole siege?"

"Yes sir," the soldier replied as they hurried down the halls. "All of us managed to. But we were forbidden from returning to service because we apparently helped Zuko. Azula employed us because she needed some Firebenders in her crew to avoid suspicion. However, when she captured Zuko we decided we might as well make the claims that made us all unemployed true."

They reached the fake wall again and again Jee's solider said the chant that opened the door. Everybody inside bowed when they saw Iroh, but the man only had eyes for his nephew. Silently, slowly, he made his way across the room to where Zuko lay, still unconscious from before. Everybody, including Toph, hung back.

He general's face twisted as he looked Zuko over. He had never, even in the moments he had let himself imagine the worst as they had raced over there to save him, thought that his nephew would look as bad as that. Zuko's face and what could be seen of his arms were covered in bruises and cuts, some of them quite deep. With a sick feeling in his stomach Iroh saw that Azula had not even spared the scarred side of her brother's face; that was bruised as well and even covered in dried blood. It was clear Lieutenant Jee and his men had cleaned Zuko up a lot when they brought him to their hideout, but none of them had the nerve to touch Zuko's scar to clean it.

Iroh sat next to the still body and gently brushed Zuko's hair so that it fell over his face, hiding the horror. He knew he should lift up the thin blanket that covered Zuko so he could see the extent of the damage, but he couldn't bring himself to know. Somehow even the thought of what he might see made his hands tremble. Toph silently sat next to him, her hand gripping his elbow as she tried to comfort him as well as herself.

"General Iroh," Jee said in a quiet voice. "No disrespect meant, sir, but please do not talk unless very necessary. When Firelord Zuko saw Miss Bei Fong earlier… It is better that his heart rate stays down."

Iroh nodded mutely, absently touching Zuko's shoulder. The teen twitched slightly and he immediately removed his hand. He made himself notice then how shallow Zuko's breathing was. The sound brought back memories he did not want at all, but especially not then, with Zuko lying pale and broken at his feet. He shut his eyes as tight as they would go to try and blot out the image, but behind his lidded eyes Zuko's face became his son's and the day changed to all those years ago at Ba Sing Se.

"No." The word was nothing more than a breath. "Agni cannot take another son from me…"

Toph cried quietly next to him, not caring if Jee and his soldiers saw. Nobody said anything, unable to find words. After a long time of silence and quiet tears there was the muffled voice of a soldier outside the fake wall, saying the password. Toph was on her feet at once, ready for a plan to evacuate. The fake wall rolled back and the rest of the gaang stepped in, freezing in their tracks at the sight of Iroh and Zuko. A small sob escaped Katara's throat. Aang shut his eyes, grit his teeth, and then took charge.

"Right. Azula is another day's worry. Right now we have to get him out of here. Sokka, Suki and I will go in front and get rid of anybody who tries to oppose us. Iroh and Katara, you two are our flankers; make sure nobody gets us from behind."

"And me?" Toph demanded. "Where do I fight?"

"You don't." At Toph's expression he hurried on. "You're going to have to sit next to Zuko and move the piece of rock he's on out of this place. Do you understand? We can't move him so we'll have to move the ground he's on." Toph nodded and stood next to Zuko as Iroh rose to his feet. Aang turned to Lieutenant Jee. "Are you and your men joining us?"

"No, Avatar. We must remain here and pretend to still be in Azula's service so we can deter her as much as possible and maybe even warn the Fire Nation citizens." Aang nodded and turned away but Jee caught his arm. "Firelord Zuko is a worthy ruler," the lieutenant said gravely. "We spent almost three years by his side and I know for a fact what type of man he is. Make him come back to his country."

The Avatar's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the intensity of the man's speech. But he nodded, his face serious, and then turned to his girlfriend.

"Okay, Toph, let's go."

Toph rammed her feet into the earth, wide apart, and then lifted her hands. With a rumble the earth she and Zuko were on rose. She slid her right foot back and then gave an experimental clenching of her fists, smiling slightly when the slab of earth obediently moved forward. Aang held his staff ready and Suki and Sokka bounded out the door. Aang followed, with Toph pushing her rock after him and Katara and Iroh bringing up the rear. None of them spoke or even made a sound short of a grunt or two when they ran into a group of soldiers near the exit. Finally they were free, but the sight of sunlight did not lesson the weight on their hearts.

"Aang get to the temple and break some of the fountains!" Katara yelled at him as they crashed through the old mansion's wall. "We'll fix them up again as soon as Zuko is healed but right now I need a pool of water."

Like a shot the Airbender was off, causing dust to fly behind him as he raced at breakneck speed. He reached the cliff but instead of using the stairs snapped open his glider and flew down. There were shouts from the parents, questions and exclamations, but he did not stop to answer them. Landing in the courtyard adjacent to the one they all used he immediately began to Earthbend. The floor of the temple crackled under his command and he dipped it in so it formed a crevice in the ground with sides high enough to hold water but low enough to climb in and out of. Spinning on his heel he broke through the walls of the washrooms and water came pouring out. With one sweep of his arms the water was deposited into the makeshift dam and Aang finally let his arms drop, panting slightly.

"Aang!" It was Ursa, in the front row of the watching people. "What is going on? Where is-"

A great crash interrupted her and pieces of rock suddenly fell everywhere. Toph rode into view, the great slab of stone still in her command. Aang stamped his foot and, feeling his vibration, Toph moved the rock into the edge of the water, lowering it with a crash. There was just enough time for someone in the crowd to gasp at the sight of Zuko before Katara rushed in and skidded to his side.

"Help me get him in the water!" she cried, gently yanking the thin blanket off him and preparing to lift him into the liquid.

But as the blanket was removed and his form was uncovered Katara froze. Those walking forward to answer her plea for help stopped in their tracks too, their eyes widening, faces paling, shaking hands raising to their mouths. Behind the cover Zuko was much worse than they'd ever feared. The rest of his body was cut and bruised everywhere, his skin left unmarked almost nowhere at all. Jee's men had removed his shirt and so the ugly-coloured bruises could be clearly seen running across Zuko's swollen ribs. There were slits in his flesh made obviously from the lash of a whip, and one or two of his wounds oozed, septic.

But the worst was not the tears or bruises, the dried blood or puss or the swollen places that indicated a break. The worst were the bandages that were covering several parts of his body and which were a soiled dark-brown colour. No matter how bad the rest of Zuko looked not even his broken ribs were bandaged and the sight of the bloodstained, leaking pieces of cloth nearly stopped their hearts. With shaking fingers Katara slit through the nearest bandage, peeling it open gently to see the wound. Her face paled even more. Almost frantically she opened the next bandage, and then the next, her face twisting as she looked at each hidden injury.

"Katara what is it?" Suki asked, her face ashen and her hands still over her mouth.

"They're…" The Waterbender seemed to be struggling to speak. "They're all lightning wounds. She shot him with lightning. She…"

A sob escaped her throat and tears leaked from her eyes as she stared down in horror at Zuko's form. Aang squeezed his own eyes shut, remembering the pure pain a lightning shot brought about. Suki buried her head into Sokka's chest, unable to look any longer. Toph's hand was suddenly in Aang's and for probably the first time in her life the Earthbender was glad she could not see. With shaky movements Ursa walked towards her son, her eyes huge and filled with unshed tears. Katara met her gaze and then slowly the two women slipped the Firelord into the water. As it covered his body he stirred but did not wake. Katara covered her hands in water and raised them to Zuko's body, starting at the top and working down. His mother sat, waist-high in water, with her son's head on her lap, keeping his head above the water as she gently stroked his hair over and over, her body sometimes shaking with a sob.

"Katara…"

The Waterbender vaguely felt arms around her. She paid them no attention, focusing solely on the body before her.

"Katara," her father said again, tightening his hold on her. "Sweetie you need to stop now. You've been at it for hours; you're about to collapse. Come on, let's get you to bed."

She struggled with the little strength she had left.

"I can't! I can't, Dad. He's not healed yet. The lightning wounds…they keep tearing open… They won't stay healed. I need to… I need to…"

Hakoda picked her up, holding her bridal style against him. She tried to struggle from his arms but her body was exhausted and it refused to fight properly.

"You'll try again tomorrow," her father's voice told her in her ear. "When you're all rested you'll try again. But it's time to sleep now. Don't worry; the rest of us will take care of him. We'll put him in a nice room with a fountain just outside. Perfect for healing. Then Aang can fix his temple again."

Katara barely heard any of what he told her, but the soothing tone of his voice lulled her deeper into sleep. The last thing her closing eyes saw was Iroh and Ursa holding the man all three of them loved with all their hearts.

A view of a ceiling swam hazily into view. Then all that was seen was darkness as he closed his eyes again. His entire body ached, like he'd been run over by a herd of rhinos. He vaguely remembered that breathing had been difficult before and experimentally sucked in a lungful of air. A slight pang ran through him, but it was not a bad as it had been. This revelation caused him to open his eyes again and blink until the ceiling was not fuzzy. He prepared himself to sit up but as his muscles tensed pain shot through him and he groaned. That sound made another sound appear; the sound of someone whirling around in shock. Then there were footsteps, and Zuko was sure he was in some pleasant dream. Because above him, hair hanging loose around her shoulders and blue eyes wide, stood Katara.

"Zuko…" she breathed, and her voice saying his name made his heart leap. Then her expression closed off, as if she remembered something that made her want to put distance between the two. "Welcome back," she said in a formal voice. "Don't try and move too much; most of your bad wounds are still there. You've been out for four days but they keep opening so I haven't managed to heal them properly yet."

"Katara…" his voice was raspy.

"You probably want to see your mother," she continued to prattle. "I'll go and tell her you're-"

Zuko's hand grasped her wrist. She stared at it in shock before, with surprising strength for somebody in his position, Zuko yanked her towards him. She yelped and tried to keep herself upright, but it was too late and she fell towards him. His arms caught her and then, ignoring the knifing pain, crushed her to his body.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I am so, so sorry…"

Her hands wrapped into his hair and she nuzzled into his shoulder, tears rolling down her cheeks and all thoughts of being distanced forgotten. He held her as she cried, voice anguished as he said again and again how sorry he was. Eventually she could talk again.

"I thought you were going to die," she cried. "I was next to you in the water and I was putting all my skill into healing you and you just wouldn't heal… The wounds just wouldn't go away… And your breathing was… I thought… I thought…"

"Shhh. Shh it's okay. It's okay. Everyone's alright now. Shh."

She quietened in his arms, knowing how much the grip he had her in must be hurting him but unable to find the will to move away. She had been longing to hold him for days, and now that she could she wasn't sure she would ever let him go again.

"Toph lied to me," Zuko suddenly stated, realizing the fact.

Katara nodded against him, stroking his hair.

"She came and found us and told us to forget about Azula; we needed to get you out. Toph moved the piece of rock you were on all the way up to the temple and Aang made me a little dam so I could heal you. It didn't work very well, though…"

"What are you talking about? It worked _very _well. I'm much better now than I was then."

She finally sat up to look him in the eyes. Her face was anguished.

"Maybe, but you're still so hurt. I'm used to my healing happening quickly but you're…" She swallowed. "What were you _thinking_? She could have killed you!" Her voice broke twice.

"Hey." He stroked her face, trying to wipe away the expression. "It was worth it. Everything was worth it."

"She hit you with lightning," Katara whispered at him. "She_ hit you with lightning._ That is not _worth _anything!"

"Yes, it is," he said firmly. "Because she didn't hit _you _with lightning. Or Toph, or Uncle, or my mom, or Aang. It was so worth it."

Her eyes narrowed at his expression. She opened her mouth to say something heated at him, but as she shifted her weight and jostled the bed his expression crumpled in pain and his teeth clashed together in a hiss. Alarmed she jerked back and began to get off the bed but once again he stopped her.

"Don't leave," he begged her. At her expression he pleaded more. "Please. Just stay."

The Waterbender hesitated, then slipped in again, this time extra careful of how she moved. She noticed, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the way he was clutching the side on which there was a wound from the lightning. But, selfishly, she ignored the sign of pain and lay next to him, lacing her fingers in his and closing her eyes as he kissed her hair again and again. She inhaled deep lungfuls of his scent and he stroked her arm with his right hand, his left securely wrapped around her.

"Not that I'm complaining, but doesn't your brother usually burst in threatening my life before this much time has passed?"

She laughed quietly. "There was some kind of disturbance behind the big hill. Everybody except me went to go and see what it was all about. You're safe for a while longer."

She knew it was stupid, but she finally couldn't stop herself from asking any longer.

"So… Everything you told me in that mansion… It was… You were really lying?"

He stiffened next to her and then, a split-second later, grabbed her chin and turned her face towards his. His eyes were burning gold, smouldering into hers.

"I have never lied more in my life than I did then," he told her slowly and sincerely, letting each word sink in. "Everything I told you was the blackest kind of blasphemy. Do you understand?" She stared at him, her heart bursting with happiness. "I love you, Katara. More than anything on this earth."

"I love you too," she whispered, shutting her eyes as their foreheads touched.

"Aaaw, how touching," a sweet female voice cooed.

There were cracking noises, and sharp stinging sensations on Katara's arms. She suddenly found she could not move at all.

* * *

**Important AN**: Okay, folks, that was the second last chapter. The last one, entitled "Fighting" has already been written and is waiting for ten reviews to appear so it can be uploaded. Not even my sister has read it yet (it's a very big hush-hush secrecy ;D) I must warn you, however, that I hate the final battle. With all my heart. But I cannot change it, no matter how I try. So I've given up and let it stay very suckish and unsatisfying. So if you want to bow out now... I will more than understand. Thanks for your support so far, you are all amazing.

**CREDITS: **

The 'Zuko getting shot by lightning and not dying' was taken from the show, where Azula shot Iroh only to hurt and not kill, and **Stormbenders, **where it is actually explained that she did it only to hurt. Remember, folks, that Azula is a master at skill; if she wants to just hurt, she can hold her power in for sure.

And the end lovey-dovey scenes were very, very much inspred by a book. I won't mention names becuase hardly anybody has read it, and the few who have don't really like it. So it's my little secret. If you've read the book, however, you'll know where I took the lines from.


	8. Fighting

**AN: **HOLY POTATO. _Eleven _reviews in two days? Good heavens people… My E-Mail inbox nearly had a meltdown… I'm still busy replying to everybody's reviews, so don't feel left out if you haven't got a reply just yet. I thought it wiser to first post, then reply as I have been threatened in various ways that if I don't… Well, It's just safer to post XD

So, last chapter of my exam stress-release. Again, I despise the ending. But I suppose now you guys can picture whatever happened your own way… I'm just sorry I couldn't make it as awesome as I wanted… More afterwards, when you're all ready to kill me.

**isclaimer: **I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

**The Firelord's Holiday **

**VII. Fighting **

"What have you done to her?" Zuko snarled, his voice dangerous in Katara's ear.

"There's no need to sound so sour; it's only Shirshu venom I concentrated and placed in my whip. If I were you, I'd worry more about myself," Azula purred back.

Zuko's answer was a growl as he shifted away from Katara. She tried to stop him or at least move her head to see what he was doing, but found she could do neither. She also found, with growing horror, that she could not move her lips to utter a sound. Azula must have seen her pitiful attempts at speech, because she laughed darkly.

"Don't bother trying, peasant. You'll be rendered immobile and silent for quite some time. No way to fight back, no way to yell for help to those pathetic fools you keep company with. Not that they would have heard you anyway; my distraction is keeping them nice and far away."

The way they had all so easily fallen into Azula's trap hit Katara painfully as she struggled to move. Zuko and her were alone and neither of them could fight. The crazed Fire Nation princess would still carry out her plan; finish off Zuko first and then take out Katara even more easily. And the Waterbender was powerless to stop it, or even see her end coming.

"Don't touch her!" Zuko's voice barked, farther away from her than she had expected.

His sister paid him no attention and instead wrapped Katara's foot in her whip and roughly flipped her around on the bed so that she was facing the battle instead of the pillows.

"She deserves to see what the end looks like," Azula smiled sweetly.

If Katara could have whimpered, she would have. The Fire Nation princess stood a few feet away from her, long whip in hand and feral smirk on her face. And Zuko, without Katara noticing because of her senseless body, had gotten out of bed and was facing his sister, now half shielding the bed after Azula's last move. The Firelord was only half upright, leaning against the bedpost and still swaying on his feet, teeth grit and one arm wrapped around the one wound he could reach. There was already a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, but his face was set for battle. No matter what it did to him, he would fight.

"I'm giving you three seconds to drop that whip and surrender," he rumbled.

"Oh please, Zuzu. Stop with the theatrics already. You can barely stand up and you're _threatening _me? Maybe I hit you on the head too hard that last time… Look, just be a good older brother and go lie down again. Then you can die holding _her_."

"Never," Zuko snarled, his single fistful of fire taking even Azula off guard.

With a strangled yell she flung the burning whip to the side, her eyes and face hard.

"That was a very stupid thing to do, Zuzu," she hissed. "Now it's going to be more painful for you and you'll die all alone without your little girlfriend."

A cry failed to escape from Katara's lips as Azula flung fire at her brother. Zuko released his side and blocked the flames with both hands, sending a counterattack back at her. But in his weak and hurting state Zuko was no match for his prodigy sister. While he was still unstable on his feet after his attack she charged, not bothering with flames but instead slamming her forearm into Zuko's chest. Even as he stumbled backwards he sent another volley of flames at his opponent, refusing to give up. Azula dodged easily and kicked out, catching Zuko's leg and sweeping it out from under him. He fell to the side, flinging out his arm to stop his fall. Before he could do anything else Azula was standing on his legs, keeping them to the floor. His attempt at swatting her off only got his arm caught in her grip and twisted above his head, used as a lever to hold his body down sideways on the floor, pinning his other arm beneath him.

"You are not worth my bending," Azula said almost lazily, examining the nails of her free hand while Zuko winced beneath her. "And yet I am still giving you the _honour _of dying by it. Aren't I nice, Zuzu?" Zuko scowled at her, his face black thunder as he tried in vain to wriggle free. "Oh, being silent now are we? I think I can fix that."

With another feral smile she bent down and angled Zuko's body so that the wound from her lightning was clearly visible. With a slight chuckle she curled her fingers so her nails stuck out; five perfectly filed, sharp points. And she drove them into Zuko's wound. The Firelord could not help but yell in agony, and the sound drove ice into Katara's heart. She started to struggle more, and found that she could almost, almost make a sound.

"There, that's better." Azula's voice was sugary.

She flung his arm away and removed her hand and examined her nails again, now slightly flecked with blood. In her momentary distraction Zuko attacked, shooting fire at her torso and knocking her backwards. He was going to leap up and immediately attack again, but no matter how he tried he could not struggle to his feet. Azula's blue flame caught him on the shoulder, knocking him sideways to the floor again.

"You really are pathetic," Azula drawled, standing almost over him with a bored expression on her face. "I still don't understand how you ever managed to beat me before. It probably had something to do with her."

Katara was thrown to the floor as the princess' fire consumed the legs of the bed. She was facing the wrong way and so she couldn't see how far away she was from Zuko. She had thought watching Azula attack Zuko would be bad, but only seeing the shadow of the standing princess on the wall was worse. There was enough indication to see the outline of her movements, but she would not know if the blow she dealt was fatal or not. Her fingers twitched, but no more movement could be called from her body.

"I'm done playing with you, brother. It's time to end it. Long live the Firelord!"

The shadow of Azula raised her hand as the real one did, blue flames in her elevated palm. Katara watched in horror, unable to look away as her heart threatened to break yet again in her chest. There was a moment of complete silence, and then the rushing of a great wind filled the room. Azula was swept to the side, smacking against the far wall as Aang burst through the door, staff raised and eyes hard. Azula shrieked in rage and flung herself at the Avatar, who warded off her attacks and inched out of the room, drawing the enraged girl after him. There were sounds of rumbling stones and metal unsheathing, but Katara did not care about the battle.

"Zu…ko…" She finally managed to force something past her lips. "Zuk…o!"

Her finger's twitched in irritation as she tried again to move. There was a slight swooshing noise, like something soft was being dragged across the floor. She sincerely, viciously hoped it was the muffled sound of Azula being _flung _across the floor. But then a warm arm encircled her, and she forgot her vengeance wish. She knew Zuko was hurt and bleeding and that outside the rest of her little family was fighting a crazed Fire Nation princess. But right then she didn't care. Zuko was holding her, she could hear his steady breathing as he kissed her ear, she could feel his heartbeat against her slowly mobilizing back. And that was all she wanted.

"You should have killed her," Sokka said flatly, arms crossed as he watched Katara finish bandaging Zuko's freshly healed wounds.

The Waterbender was brightly optimistic that after another six or so healing sessions they would all fully disappear. Toph grunted in agreement to Sokka's statement but Aang frowned at the warrior.

"For the last time, it's not my place to just go killing everybody," he said through gritted teeth.

"It wasn't _everybody_, it was _Azula_. She deserves death!"

"I'm inclined to agree with Snoozels on this one," Toph agreed. "If you didn't want to do it, I would love to take the job off your hands…" The ground rumbled ominously beneath her feet as she spoke.

"I think what Aang did to her was worse," Zuko interrupted as the Airbender opened his mouth to retort. "Azula may still be dangerous without her bending, but it was, in a sense, her everything. She was powerful because of it, known and loved because she was a prodigy. Aang Spiritbending her Firebending away is much worse than death to her."

Aang looked away but Toph took his hand, yanked him towards her and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Chin up, Aang," Suki said soothingly. "You may have rendered her unable to bend, but now she has a chance to begin again."

Toph snorted. "Do you think she can, Sparky?"

Zuko nodded, but then elaborated. "Yeah, I'm sure she can. Mom is with her now, and you guys said she calmed down when she arrived. I guess Azula missed her as much as I did…"

"She's still going to be locked up for a while, though, right?" Suki asked.

"Yeah… Well, that is until something else is figured out. Nobody knows exactly what to do about her, so we're just going to play it by ear."

"What about Mai and Ty Lee?" Suki asked quietly, her eyes locked onto Zuko's as she asked the real question burning her tongue.

Zuko looked away from her for a moment as Katara stiffened at his side at the mention of Mai's name. As soon as the Waterbender had made sure Zuko was in no immediate danger, she had wanted to go after either Azula or Mai and _make them pay_. Toph had been all for it, but the rest had held the two girls back, eventually managing to calm Katara and take thoughts of revenge out of her head. Zuko stroked her hand once then turned back to Suki.

"Neither of them will be charged. Azula is very manipulative… She can make anybody do anything. Especially when the person wants to do it, deep down. Ty Lee wanted to make it up to Azula, to be her friend again. That's just her personality. And Mai… Well, I guess I deserved that one. "

Katara snorted, her face hard. The Firelord turned back to her.

"So you're saying Azula's clever words were what made Mai turn on you? She betrayed the man she loves now and her king all because of mediocre feelings; things that don't really matter to her any more."

"Azula did the same to me, Katara," Zuko answered her quietly. "I know better than anyone how well my sister can lie and manipulate." Katara's eyes told him she didn't believe him. "Remember Ba Sing Se?"

The hardness in her face vanished and he smiled grimly. The Waterbender sighed and stroked his hair out of his eyes before she rested her forehead on his, a sign that she had given in.

"Come on, guys. Time for bed," Sokka said, stretching and catching Suki's hand. They were halfway out the door when he turned back and noticed Katara hadn't moved from her position next to Zuko on his new bed. "Katara, come on."

"I think I'm going to stay here for a while…"

Sokka's face turned dangerous, but Suki placed a hand over his mouth and tightened her hold on him.

"Sokka, we're leaving. Let them be."

There was a muffled and incomprehensible reply from Sokka. Toph rolled her sightless eyes.

"Oh yeah, Snoozels, like Zuko is really going to take advantage of her in the state he's in. Get over yourself."

With the Earthbender's help Suki managed to drag her boyfriend from the room. Aang grinned at the pair and then followed, closing the door behind him. Katara instantly cuddled closer to Zuko, who pulled the covers over her as well. Their legs curled around each other at the ankles as they lay there in comfortable silence. Katara played absently with the frayed place on the blanket, her face intent.

"Why are you beating up the blanket?" Zuko asked her, gently freeing her hand. "It did nothing to you."

"I'm just… worried," Katara confessed in a mumble.

"About what? There's nobody left to hurt you. And if anybody new tries, I'll fry them to a crisp."

She smiled slightly at his words but then became serious again.

"But that's the thing… There _are _people who can hurt me. Not physically," she added quickly, as Zuko opened his mouth. "But it'll hurt more than physical pain if I can't stay with you…"

"And who says you can't?" Zuko demanded, his voice that of the arrogant prince she had first met.

"Your council. Your people. Zuko," she pushed herself up on her elbows to look him in the face. "What if they don't like me? What if the Fire Nation won't have me?"

"Then we'll go live in the Earth Kingdom or in the South Pole. I know you love your home."

"Good thing you're a Firebender," she smirked. "It gets really cold there. Oh but you'll have to learn how to skin your own animals for clothes and 'primitive' things like that." She grinned at him and caught the grimace that crossed his face for a mere second. Her eyes widened in shock. "You weren't joking…" she said faintly.

He raised his eyebrow at her as though he was questioning her sanity.

"No, Katara, I wasn't joking. If my people won't have you, I'll just try my luck with yours."

"But…" She was utterly flabbergasted. "Your throne…"

Zuko shrugged just a little too casually. "Uncle can have it. Or Mom. They can both run the country as well as me."

Through Katara's mind flickered the memories of the old Zuko, the one utterly and solely focused on getting his throne back. She saw the passion he fought with, the way he refused to ever give it up, the look in his eyes the day of his coronation. And, as the memories flickered, the truth really sank in: Zuko, the same Zuko who had chased them across the world, betrayed his Uncle, fought countless, and sometimes impossible, battles to get his throne back, was lying beside her and telling her he would give it all up for her.

"Absolutely not!" She gasped at what her mind was telling her. Zuko blinked in confusion, and then slight hurt crossed his face. "There is no way you are even going to _think _about giving up your throne, do you hear me? No!"

"I never knew you felt so strongly about it." His eyebrow was raised way up.

"Well I do! I'd never, _ever _take that away from you." She exhaled, trying to calm her nerves after Zuko's sudden revelation. "Zuko, what will you do if your nation does not want me? And moving anywhere else is _not _an option."

"You are the Avatar's Waterbending master, his close friend, the Painted Lady and deeply loved by General Iroh and Lady Ursa, not to even mention me. I doubt they will appose you. But if they do-" he cut across Katara's next sentence-"then I will remind them exactly who is Firelord of their country. If _that _doesn't sway them, then I'll let them take me on. I highly doubt any of them will win an Agni Kai with me."

Katara's mouth popped open again.

"You'll fight for me?"

"I fought for my honour for over three years, for my throne basically my whole life and even for my life countless times, the most recent being an hour or so ago. Of course I'll fight for you." His tone was patient, as though explaining to someone not very bright that fire was hot.

A slightly pleased and smug look crossed Katara's face and she buried her face in Zuko's shoulder after kissing him on the cheek. She was totally comfortable and happy, not the least bit worried about the future now. No matter what anybody thought or what happened they would always remain together. A grin pulled up the corners of her mouth as she realized her dream would come true. The warm body beside her would be there forever. She would forever remain one half of a perfect whole.

Even so, she couldn't resist one last jab.

"What happens if you're not as strong as you think you are and one of those old cronies on your council kicks your butt?"

Zuko chuckled next to her, too happy to get mad. A kiss was placed on her head.

"Then I'll go out as I came in: fighting."

* * *

SOOOO that's it ^^ Everything's over. I hope you guys enjoyed the story at least a little bit. A tiny little bit… Still looking for reviews so I can write that prize for somebody. **A HUGE THANK YOU **to every single one of you for reading and reviewing. Seriously, guys, if it wasn't for you, this wouldn't have happened. And sorry, once again, for the horrid ending. I wish I could have made it better.

**CREDITS **

The name Shirshu is a lot like Jee: it can be spelled in two ways. I took the one from the Avatar wiki.

The idea of Zuko willing to give up EVERYTHING for Katara was read by me in **Rhythm of the Rain **by the utterly BRILLIANT DamageCtrl. I nearly cried in that part of her story, and I couldn't resist making my Zuko say something of the same. It is truly beautiful.

I don't think I missed anything, but if I did please let me know!

Maybe I'll see some of you in the next fic? Another huge thank you and an even huger apology for the lame ending battle. UGH I wish there was a way to make it better…

Written Parody


End file.
